The Outcast With The Sapphire Eyes
by LifeUnending72
Summary: Lyra is sent on a mission to retrieve some artifacts but is betrayed by her companion Rena. Lyra continues her search in Firenze and along the way she meets a strange friend and a handsome Italian that has his eyes set on her. Ezio/OC, Federico/OC. You guys will hopefully like this.
1. The Search

**The Search**

"Come on Rena, it can't be that bad?" I said to my companion who was complaining non-stop about the ridiculous heat.

"How can you stand this, it is so unbearable," she replied waving her hands in front of her face to get some relief from the heat. I shook my head and laughed.

"Look, there is a village up ahead. Maybe we can find refuge from the heat there and get some rest," I suggested. She nodded and continued to follow me on the horse. We made our way down the road and all I can hear was Rena complaining about the heat and trying to cool herself down. I just laughed to myself and kept walking.

"Why aren't you riding the horse? Don't get me wrong, I do like not having to walk a lot, but this is too kind. Why would you do this for me?" She asked, ceasing her complaints for the moment.

"Because I did not want those guards catching me while trying to steal another horse…" I spoke without looking at her as I kept on walking. "…besides, who else is going to keep the horse steady while you ruffle about complaining about the heat," I said with a smirk. She gave me a deathly glare which made my smirk widen.

"Oh ha ha, you are quite comical," she said. I focused back on walking toward the village and keeping the horse steady while Rena went back to complaining.

When we made it to the village we paid the stables to look after the horse, found an Inn and paid for food and beds. Rena released a sigh of relief as she plopped herself on one of the beds and stretched herself out.

"I have aches and pains all over," she said as she popped her shoulders. "I don't know how people can ride a horse all day," she said. I on the other hand had completely ignored her and stared out the window into the village. "What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" she said jokingly to which I shot her a glare.

"We don't know if we are completely safe here or not," I warned. "We need to be ready for anything if we are to complete our mission," Rena rolled her eyes.

"Look, we gave them the slip; they won't look for us out here. We are fine, they are just petty guards any way," she said, waving a hand in the air.

"I told you before, we can't get caught out here otherwise this mission will be a complete failure," I said in frustration.

"And how do you know that what where looking for is indeed out here?" She asked questioningly.

"I've heard rumors," I simply concluded and continued to look out the window.

"Great, I have to be stuck with the mysterious grump," Rena scoffed. It was my turn to roll my eyes as I shook my head.

"Rest up and be ready to make a quick getaway if we need to," I said.

"No complaints here," Rena said as she rolled over and got some rest. I on the other hand was too jumpy to get any sleep. Upon getting here we already ran into a lot of trouble thanks to that hyperactive girl.

'_I'm not a grump…_' I thought to myself, _'…but am I really that mysterious. I mean I only know Rena because this mission demanded that I have her along. We don't know each other very well because of that so there is no reason that I am mysterious. I don't have time to make friends; I have a job to do!_'

* * *

I continued to look out into the village until day turned into night. I could hear people downstairs in the Inn shouting and cheering. All travelers probably, resting up before heading out again to continue traveling. Rena sat on the bed, reading a book she had brought along. After a while she threw the book in her bag and stood up, making her way for the door.

"Where do you think you are going?" I asked, turning towards her. She just gave me an innocent look and a shrug.

"Just down stairs," she replied sheepishly.

"We need to head out soon, we can't be slacking off," I stated.

"It's just a little fun. You do know how to have fun don't you?" she questioned.

"Look, I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, so let's just finish this mission then you can slack off all you want," I said.

"Or, I can go have some fun now and you can do all the work," she stated, smirking at me.

"It doesn't work like that," I said glaring at her, "We have to do this properly otherwise this will never work," I retorted.

"I don't have to do this properly, or have you forgotten the agreement. You have to play nice or else you won't get your freedom," she threatened. I was about to say something else but then I heard someone yelling downstairs and everyone went really quiet. I went to the door and opened it slightly so I could hear what was happening.

"We are looking for two women," I hear a man say, probably the man who made everyone silent.

"We aren't a brothel," the Innkeeper said, "You will have to go look somewhere else,"

"What I mean is that there are two thieves here that need to be dealt with," the guard said.

"And you say they are women? Ha, I have never heard of such a ludicrous thing," the Inn keeper said. I silently shut the door and grabbed my bag.

"What do we do?" Rena asked. I motioned towards the window.

"We jump," I said. Rena looked at me, flabbergasted.

"You can't expect me to jump out of a two story window," she whined.

"Don't worry, you'll land on your feet," I retorted. I jumped out the window and landed on the ground. No broken bones, so far so good. "Come on Rena," I whispered up to her.

"Cats land on their feet. Do I look like a cat to you?" she whispered back. I looked around the corner of the building to see some guards at the entrance of the Inn. I looked back up to see Rena taking her time to jump out of the building.

"We don't have time for this, just jump," I whispered harshly. I turned to look out onto the street to make sure no one would see us; I then felt something crash down on me, causing me to topple over.

"Sorry," I heard Rena say from above.

"Get off of me," I said, shoving her off so I could stand and dust myself off. I looked around the corner to make sure none of the guards heard us. Rena looked around the corner also to see what was going on. "The stables are in the opposite direction of the guards, we get there and grab us some horses and get out of here," I explained. Rena nodded and we started to make our way towards the stables.

Lucky for us there were no guards around the stables. Rena grabbed the one that she had before and I chose a fast enough looking bay mare. I found a saddle for my horse and tacked her up. Once I was ready, Rena and I lead our horses out of the stables.

"Now what?" Rena asked.

"Run real fast, real far," I said.

"What kind of a plan is that?" She asked.

"Desperate times," I simply stated. "The only way out of here is past those guards and with or without your horse they are going to notice us anyway," I clarified. She gave a sigh of defeat and nodded. "Let's go then," I encouraged my horse to go into a gallop and Rena's horse followed mine.

We flew past the guards and I could hear them behind us as they shouted out and raced for their horses. We sped off into the dark and I looked behind me to see the lit torches from the guards as they followed. I steered my horse off the road and behind some trees. Rena followed me and did the same and we watched as the guards rode straight past us and kept going down the road.

"Stupid guards," Rena said. I looked down the road at the fading light.

"I hope we don't run into them anytime soon," I replied.

"Please, I can take them on all by myself," she stated.

"Come one, let's keep going. We aren't far away now," I said as I lead my horse back down the road again.

"Can we have some fun after then?" Rena asked.

"*sigh* yes, we can have some _fun_ afterwards," I replied with a little bit of sarcasm in there.

"And I want to see you actually enjoying yourself for once," she said, finally settling down in the saddle and quieting down for a bit.

'_I don't have time for having a bit of fun,_' I thought to myself.

* * *

We finally made it to our destination the next morning, but we were not alone. As we hid behind some rocks we saw that there was a camp down there, and excavation camp to be exact, and there were guards sitting around the camp.

"Why would there me guards at an excavation camp?" Rena asked.

"So that the people working there don't get overrun by bandits and such," I replied.

"That's generous," she said.

"Though usually the workers aren't paid very much, the person hiring all of these people want only the riches, they don't care how they get it," I stated.

"Oh," Rena answered.

"But we only want one thing in there and if the rumors are right we are going to be happy with what we find," I said as I moved closer to the edge of the camp. Rena and I both moved along the tents, making sure that we don't get detected.

We edged further to the temple and had to knock out two guards who were guarding the entrance before they could raise any type of alarm. We made our way down the longs halls, removing any guards that might be a problem along the way. The corridors lead us to a large room where excavation workers were moving treasure chests and other such things. We followed up the wall onto a higher ledge that overlooked the room.

"You don't think they could have gotten to it before us do you?" Rena asked worriedly. I shook my head.

"No, if it is as powerful as they say it is, it wouldn't be too easy to find," I said.

"Then what makes you think we have a chance?" Rena asked. I looked around the room and notice a hole in the wall that would lead to a different part in the temple.

"Look, over there, we can follow the beams along to that hole," I said, ignoring Rena's question, I moved along the ceiling beams over to the hole in the wall.

"Thanks for answering my question," I heard Rena reply sarcastically. I slipped through the hole in the wall and dropped down into another corridor. Rena dropped down as well and I made sure that she didn't fall on me again. She stumbled a little when she dropped down. "I am not a cat," she mumbles grumpily.

"Christ, you're still on about that, would you give it a rest?" I hissed at her as I continued walking down the corridor. When we reached the end we stopped at a pair of large doors. "Help me with these doors," I said as I pushed on one and she pushed on another. As I pushed I noticed they weren't budging. I let out a sigh of frustration and gave up on trying.

"No use, they're locked," Rena pointed out. I looked around and notice that there was another hole in the wall.

"Wait here, I'll see what I can do," I said as I started to climb the doors to the hole. I reached the hole and climbed through; jumping down into what I assumed was the trophy room because of all the treasures in here. I noticed that there was a wooden beam blocking the door. I removed it and let Rena through.

"Thank you," she said walking through the doors. I made sure no one noticed us and quickly closed the door. "This is amazing!" Rena exclaimed, "Just look at all of this," she said as she gazed upon the treasure.

"Remember, we are here for one thing only," I said.

"Fine, let's look for this thing," she said and helped me search for our objective. I looked through the treasure, hoping that I could find the item that we have been searching for but I hadn't found a thing yet. "Hey, look at this," Rena said as she held up something. I quickly turned to look at her.

"Did you find it?" I asked moving towards her. Instead she was holding a dagger. "Damn it, I thought you found it," I said as I looked away, embarrassed at my sudden delight in thinking that we had found what we were looking for.

"Relax we will find it. Here, take this anyway," she said handing me the dagger.

"You don't want it?" I asked.

"Nah, not my kind of dagger," she replied as she kept looking through the treasure. I gazed down at the dagger. It was a pretty enough steel dagger with a dragon carved into the hilt and had sapphires for the eyes. I placed it in a cloth and put it in my satchel for safe keeping.

I looked down the hall and noticed something behind the treasure there. I moved over towards the pile and moved it away to reveal a door. I tried to push it open and succeeded.

"I found a door over here," I called out to Rena and walked through. Rena soon followed after me and we both looked into the room. It was a small room and there was a single pillar in the middle and upon it was placed a single paper. Rena was the first to pick it up and read it.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, "I can't read this," she said, handing me the paper. I looked at it and laughed.

"Well no wonder, this is in a language called Arabic, you won't be able to understand it easily because you're not used to learning about new languages," I said mockingly.

"Just shut up and read the thing smart ass," I laughed and continued to read the note.

_My Dear Beloved_

_Here, I leave all my riches to you, they are yours and you can do with them as you please. My heart will always belong to you forever and always and will as high as the highest mountain and as deep as the deepest oceans._

_Yours Forevermore_

_Alexander_

"So?" Rena said

"Just a rich guy writing a letter to his lover," I said.

"So what where looking for isn't here?" Rena asked.

"I guess not," I said as I placed the note back on the pillar. I then noticed that there was more writing on the back of it, "Wait a second, there is more writing," I said as I turned over the note.

"What does it say then?" she asked. I looked at the writing closely, it was a different language to what the other person wrote in.

"I think this is in Italian, not sure though," I said trying to decipher what language it actually was.

"Give it here," she said as she snatched the note from me. I glared at her but she just ignored me. "Yep, this is in Italian alright, and you said you knew everything," she said, taking her turn at mocking me.

"I never said I knew everything," I retorted.

"But you implied it. Lucky for us, I actually took time to learn this language, the only interesting one out of them all," she said triumphantly. '_Dearest Alexander, I sorrowfully write on this note that I never loved you. I lived with you all my life telling a lie, but now that you are gone, I can confidently say that you meant nothing to me at all. Even your children were not your own as I have been seeing another man whom I will be living the rest of my life with. Never forevermore with you, Pearla,_" Rena started bursting out laughing.

"What a horrible wife," I said, "To think she never had the decency to say to a man that she never loved him. That man must have been turning in his grave," I huffed and started to walk out of the room. I guess that the artifact isn't here after all.

"What dumb bitch would leave all of these riches behind?" Rena asked as she followed me out.

"Alexander's family must have kept the wife from taking all of it," I simply stated. "Who cares anymore, let's just go," I said as I made my way through the door with Rena following me. We made our way back to the first hole in the wall. "Here, I'll give you a boost, then you help me up," I said as I made a foothold with my hand for Rena. She put her foot in my hands and I helped her up so she could reach the hole. "Now help me up," I said as I waited for her.

"You know what…" she said as she smirked maliciously, "…I don't think I will. I'm tired of following you around and listening to you all the time. Your nothing but an outcast and I don't think anyone will miss you if I leave you behind. I'll just find those artifacts myself," and with that Rena turned away and just left me there.

"Rena!" I shouted, forgetting about the workers on the other side if the door in the next room. The doors busted open and three guards came in with swords in hand. "Shit," I muttered to myself. This is what you get for working with someone.

"How did you get in here?" one guard said. I unsheathed the sword I had and took a fighting stance. "Never mind then, let's have some fun boys," the guard said to the other two as all three of them laughed.

'_Not on your life,_' I thought to myself. One of the guards moved in and tried to slice my shoulder. I ducked out of the way and sliced his sword arm and then stabbed him through his chest. I kicked him off my sword and quickly got back into my fighting stance.

The next guard didn't move as arrogantly as the first guard. He cautiously went for my sword in which I parried and then knocked his sword from his grasp and then ran my sword through his abdomen and dissected him a little before pulling my sword out to face the next guard.

The next guard stared at me terrified. I gave him a challenging stare but he on the other hand didn't want the challenge and made a run for the exit.

'_Not a chance,_' I grabbed a throwing knife and threw it at the guard's head. He instantly dropped to the ground dead. I went to the dead body and retrieved the knife. All the excavator's looked stunned that a women had just done all of this. "What, you've never seen a women fight before," I barked harshly at the excavators. One man approached, he seemed to be Italian in his mid-thirties.

"Forgive us _signora_, but these guards have been nothing but cruel to us, we are just overwhelmed that a single person has come along and has gotten rid of three of them without any effort," he said in complete awe and amazement.

"Yeah well, people are cruel, no need to whine about it. Here's what you need to tell me. Why are you excavating here?" I asked the man.

"I do not know _signora_, they do not tell us only that we must search all over the place" he explained. Must be some rich guy wanting an important artifact. I can't think too much on it though.

"Are you all being held captive here?" I asked. The man nodded.

"_Si_, we have all been promised good work here, but sadly we have been stuck out here for months and can never go home because we don't have the money for it," the man said with great sadness. I looked around at the room; everyone seemed to have an empty look to them.

"Take enough gold to get yourselves back and flee from this place," I stated to everyone. They all looked at me confused.

"_Signora_, these guards won't let us go so easily," the man said. I gave him a smirk and started heading for the entrance.

"Leave that to me," I simply said. "You all wait here until I get back,"

* * *

I reached the entrance and looked over the camp. I counted four guards, this shouldn't be too hard, just take them out quietly and then I am all set. I made my way along the tents and over to an isolated guard. I took out the dagger the Rena gave me and used it against the guard to drive it into his neck while I covered his mouth with my free hand so won't scream.

I did the same with the next two guards, thanking my luck that they were all spaced separately. The last guard was in the middle of the camp, sitting down at a desk in front of a large tent. He obviously must be the overseer of the excavation. I stalked up behind him and was about to raise the knife before he suddenly spoke to me.

"So, you have finally come to kill me, Assassin. Be quick about it then, I am a very busy man," He said.

"As you wish," I said as I drove my blade through his heart. '_Assassin? What does he mean by that? I'm not an Assassin,_' I thought to myself as I cleaned my blade on the lead guard's robes. I searched through the guards belonging's and found a journal along with a letter written in Italian.

_Basilio_

_The Grand Master needs to know how the excavation is going. We need the results soon and you will provide, otherwise it will be your head on the line_

_I hope you will not disappoint us further_

_Francesco de Pazzi_

"Demanding bastard isn't he?" I said to myself as I placed the letter within the journal. I headed back to the excavators and gave them the news that they are safe to head out whenever they are ready.

* * *

"Thank you so much _signora_ you have no idea how much this means to any of us," the same man said as he follow me out of the temple.

"What is your name?" I asked the man.

"Gabriele," he said.

"And do you come from _Italia_?" I asked him.

"_SI_, I do indeed, why you ask?" he questioned me.

"Do you know of someone named Francesco de Pazzi?" I asked him.

"I don't know the man personally but he is a very influential person in _Firenze_," Gabriele explained.

"Do you know anyone from that city?" I asked. I may just have this mission by the leash again.

"I actually live there myself. You can travel with me there if you want," he suggested.

"I think I will. Thanks Gabriele," I replied. There weren't any horses around so we had to travel to Limassol on foot.

After travelling for some time we reach a village, purchase some horses, and travel on to Limassol without many worries along the way. We managed to board a ship that sailed for _Venezia_.

"You still haven't told me your name," Gabriele said. I looked out at the ocean, wondering if it was wise to give him my name.

'_It's Lyra,_' but I am not ready to trust people at the moment, especially after what happened. "I am not comfortable handing out my name to people I don't fully trust," I said, continuing to stare out at the ocean. '_Maybe I am mysterious,_"

* * *

**Hey guys. First Ezio/OC Story. I took so long to actually do one because I think Altair is way better.**

**Ezio fangirls please don't kill me.**

**Anyways let me know what you think. Yes this first chapter is a little confusing but all will be explained later on so have no fear.**

**Leave a review and happy reading**

**-Midnight**


	2. The Strange Friend

**The Strange Friend**

Gabriele and I arrived in _Venezia_ a few weeks later. The ship slid into the docks and we let ourselves off the ship. _Venezia_ was a city surrounded by water; markets lined the streets and all of the stall holders did their best to try and bring people so they could sell their goods.

"We should find a place to stay for now, we can catch a boat to _Forli _tomorrow, from there we can get a carriage to _Firenze_," Gabriele suggested. I nodded and followed him seeing as he knew this place better than I.

As we walked along the streets I noticed how happy everyone seemed. Women were chatting with each other; children were playing together, men having friendly conversations. It seemed harmonious to me, I never knew it could be quite like this. Gabriele led us over a large bridge where the city seemed to be the busiest.

"This is the Rialto Bridge, the most famous landmark in _Venezia_," He stated. I looked around at all the activities that were going on. The markets seemed to be the busiest on this side of _Venezia_.

"It is quite impressive," I replied.

"It is indeed," Gabriele said nodding in agreement, "There is a place to stay at that building over there," Gabriele pointed out a tall building overlooking the bridge. We made our way over there and when we reached the end of the bridge I heard someone one cry out over the crowd.

"That thief stole my fish!" a girl called out pointing to a man who was headed in our direction. The thief neared us and I was close enough to stop him so I put my leg out and tripped him, causing him to crash down on the ground. I retrieved the stolen item but the thief got to his feet and escaped the area. "Where did he go?" a girl asked walking up to us.

"He ran away. I believe this is yours," I stated to the girl holding the fish out to her. Her face lit up upon seeing it.

"Thank you so much. This was supposed to be my dinner tonight, I don't know what I would have done if that thief took off with it. _Grazie_," she said seeming very grateful.

"Don't mention it," I mumbled as I walked away towards the building with Gabriele walking closely behind.

"That was very generous of you," Gabriele said.

"That was nothing," I said. Once we reached the building we walked in and asked for separate rooms. I didn't really want to be alone with Gabriele for several reasons. The main reason was that I still don't want to trust anyone yet. "I may go for a walk later on. I'll see you tomorrow Gabriele," I said. Gabriele nodded and I went to my room and settled down for a nap. Not before locking my door first of course.

* * *

Once I rested up I went for a walk around this district of _Venezia_. The afternoon sun was shining brightly and everything seemed to be ok. I walked around the market stall and bought an apple from a fruit stand. I ate the apple happily and threw the core away so the rats could feed on it.

I found a nice spot on a roof top that shielded me from view but also gave me the best scenery to gaze upon. The city was beautiful to look at because of all the vibrant colours and the different sounds that could be heard. I felt so at peace up hear so I closed my eyes to take in all the scents and sounds.

"It's a great spot here isn't it?" I heard a girl ask me. I jumped up startled and was face to face with the girl who I helped out earlier. "I usually come up here to think, I always feel safe when I come up here," she said and gave me a smile. I turned to walk away to head back to my room. "Wait, don't go, stay here," she said with pleading eyes.

The girl seemed to be about my age. She had long, straight, brown hair and brown eyes. She was slightly tanned and somewhat a medium height. About my height I guess, but I was a little taller.

"I'm sorry, but I am not the type to make friends," I said as I continued to walk along the rooftop.

"Well lucky for you, I am, and I want to be your friend," she said as she started following me.

"You shouldn't make friends with strangers. Why don't you just go home back to your family and leave me be," I said, jumping from the rooftop down into the street.

"I don't have a family. I'm all alone out here," I turned around to see the girl behind me with a sad look. I rolled my eyes and kept on walking. "But then I saw you today, you looked all brave when you stopped that thief, I don't feel alone around you," she said as she picked up her pace and walked right next to me.

"Look, you don't want to be around me, so just go on back to where ever you call home and leave me alone. I am through with having any friends," I said as I kept walking.

"You can't go living without any friends," the girl said. I just ignored her and kept walking, leaving her behind on the street.

* * *

By the time I got back to where I was staying it the sun had completely set. I walked into my room and put my satchel down on the bed. I sat down and took out the journal I had picked up in Cypress. I flicked through the pages and they all had different drawings and words.

"I wonder what this all means," I said to myself as I flicked through some of the pages. "One drawing looks like the pyramids in Egypt; there are some texts in here written in Chinese text. I wonder where they got this journal," I said mumbling to myself.

I looked at the front page and read it. "This journal explains where potential hiding places are for the artifacts that I am look for. This is perfect, so that's why they were looking through the temple; these people are searching for the same thing I am searching for. Guess I am one step ahead of them now," I mumbled to myself, making sure that no one would hear me. I hid the journal in my satchel and placed it under the covers of the bed.

* * *

The next day I woke up and the sun was shining dimly outside. It was only dawn and no one seemed to be out on the street yet. A little walk before I leave wouldn't hurt, just along the bridge and back, no going too far.

I picked up my satchel and headed out of the building. The morning air was great and the weather felt fresh. I walked out onto the bridge and saw that some stall owners where getting their merchandise ready for the customers.

I looked over at the canal that ran under the bridge and let my eyes travel along to see the end of the canal open out into that vast ocean. I kept walking along the bridge and when I got to the end of it looked down at the street.

'_I promised myself I would not go any further. I guess it is time for me to head back now and see if Gabriele is ready to leave_," I turned to head back but then I heard some guards yelling.

"Stop that girl," I turned around to see some guards chasing someone.

'_Damn it_," I thought to myself as I chased after the guards. The guards chased the fleeing person into an alley. I jumped up on the rooftop so that the guards wouldn't notice me. I looked closely at the cowering figure; it was the same girl from yesterday.

"We're going to have some fun with this _puttana_," One guard said. I only saw about two guards but didn't see any more coming. This should be little to no challenge. I took out my dragon hilted dagger and pounced down on one of the guards, burying the dagger in his neck. I went to get the next guard in the chest but he was too fast and I ended up slashing at the air.

"You're an agile one, I'll give you that," I said as I went for him again but ended up missing again. I became a little frustrated and stepped back as the guard went for me with a knife of his own. I dodge again as he went for me a second time.

I had to calm myself down and look for an opening. Before the guard could try to attack me a third time a sword was shoved through his chest. His eyes glazed over and he fell on his knees, sliding off the sword, and landed on the ground in a pool of his out blood. Behind the guard was the girl holding a sword with blood dripping from it.

"I know how to use a weapon when I need to," she explained sheepishly. I cleaned my dagger on one of the guards clothing and placed the dagger back in the cloth in my satchel. "That was some fancy footwork how you dodged that guards attack," the girl said.

"Why were they chasing you?" I asked.

"Why else would they chase a lonely girl," she explained shivering a little. I asked no more.

"What is your name?" I asked. Her eyes brightened up a little when I asked her that making me regret having to ask.

"Valeria, my name is Valeria," she happily said, "Pleased to meet you," she said as she extended a hand for me to shake, I didn't take it though, and she let her arm fall to her side.

"You really are lonely, aren't you?" I asked. She nodded in sadness. '_She may be able to help me, but I can't trust any, though what choice do I have_,'

"How good are you are reading and writing?" I asked her.

"I am really good at all that kind of stuff, especially with numbers," she said in a proud manner. Am I going to regret this? I let out a sigh.

"Do you want to come with me?" I asked. She looked like she was going to burst at the seams and she ran and gave me a huge hug. She nearly got me with the sword the she was holding.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You'll see, we are going to be the best of friends, and I'll be a great help," she said as she was crushing me with a death hug.

"Get off," I wheezed out as she jumped off me apologizing. "A few ground rules, no hugging, touching or anything of the sort. Got that?" I asked as she nodded. "Ok, I have an acquaintance waiting for me and he is going to take us to _Firenze_. We leave today so if there is anything that you need to get, go get it now, because we probably won't come back here for a while," I explained.

"Well, I don't really have anything, so I am all set," she said with a happy smile.

"Keep that sword with you too because you never know when you are going to need. Also, don't ever hug anyone while holding a sharp object," I said to her. She looked at me surprised and looked toward the sword in her hand.

"_Mi dispiace_, I forgot about that," she said.

"That's Ok, just make sure it doesn't happen again," I said. I looked around the street to make sure that no one saw us and walked out of the alley with Valeria following behind me. When we got back to the bridge there were more people out and purchasing goods from the markets.

"I hope _Firenze_ has lots of fish there. I only live in _Venezia_ because the fishermen bring in the best fish," Valeria explained as she looked at the stalls that were selling fish.

"I take it you really like fish," I said looking towards her. She nodded in response.

"I am kind of like a cat I would say," she said. We were half way along the bridge by now. "What is your name by the way?" she asked. I didn't look at her as we kept walking.

"I- I don't have a name," I said as I kept on walking. Valeria looked at me in shock.

"What would people call you then if you don't have a name?" she asked.

"Well you know: outcast, loner, and monster. Just the usual things," I said as I kept on walking. Valeria stopped walking and looked towards the wooden floor in thought. "Come on, keep up," I ordered as I stared at her in confusion. She finally looked towards me with a surprising look that made me feel uncomfortable.

"I'll call you Azura!" She stated and smiled happily, "Nice to meet you Azura," she greeted happily.

"Why would you call me Azura?" I asked incredulously.

"Because you have blue eyes, Azura is a gemstone and the colour is blue, the name also suggests that people with the name empower those around them. That's what I feel like when I am with you," She explained. I thought about it and the name didn't seem too bad. People will have something to call me by but I don't have to reveal my true name.

"Fine then," I said as I held out my hand and she shook it happily. "Let's go, my acquaintance is probably waiting for us by now," I said as I kept walking along the bridge and Valeria followed me silently, satisfied that she has something to call me by. We reached the building where I saw Gabriele standing out the front. He saw me and waved me over and I walked up to join him

"We are ready to leave now," he said. He then notices Valeria standing next to me. "Who is this?" he asked.

"This is Valeria, remember the one from the market, I saved her this morning from a couple of guards and now she is coming with us," I explained.

"Well, the more the merrier then. The boat is down this way and I have bought a couple of passes. I had not known that you would be accompanied by a friend so I only have two passes," Gabriele explained.

"Don't worry, I'll get one myself, I'll be right back Azura," Valeria said to me and walked off down the side street where she bought a pass for herself.

"She just called you Azura," Gabriele said looking at me confused.

"She gave me a random name, just go with it," I said as we both went to join Valeria. Once she bought herself a pass the person explained that the boat to _Forli_ was ready and we were free to board the boat. We showed our passes to the man allowing people on board and we were all set for the trip ahead.

"Usually this trip doesn't take long, we may even reach _Forli_ by the middle of the day, and after that it is on to _Firenze_," Gabriele announced to us.

"Thank you for accompanying me on this trip Gabriele. Once we get to _Firenze_ I will bother you no longer," I said to Gabriele.

"You are no bother, you saved my life, this is the least I can do to repay you," he said patting me on the shoulder. Gabriele then started to talk to some other people and I watched the water as we set sail for _Forli_. Valeria stayed by my side and watched the water as well.

"How did you save him?" she asked all of a sudden. I look at her with a little confusion on my face.

"What do you mean?" I responded with another question.

"I mean how you saved Gabriele. How was he in danger?" Valeria asked again. I looked out at the horizon, wondering how I should respond.

"I was in Cypress and he and a couple of other men were being forced to work on an excavation site so I saved them all," I explained. She looked at me amazed.

"I knew I picked the right person to be friends with," she said. We didn't say anymore and looked out on the horizon together.

* * *

Just like Gabriele said, we had reached _Forli_ at around mid-day. We all hopped off the boat together and headed towards one of the main gates where there were carriages taking people all around. Gabriele left us to go and see if he could find a carriage for us. We sat on a bench nearby as Valeria watched all the people passing by.

"Do you ever look at people and try to make up a scenario describing what they could be thinking at that very moment," Valeria asked me.

"I have never had the time to really sit and look," I responded. She gave me a mischievous grin.

"Watch this," she said as she scanned the crowd. "Over there," Valeria said pointing to a couple talking. The man was talking to the woman and was holding her hands. The both had serious looks on their faces as if they were in a deep conversation. "_It's not you, it's me,"_ Valeria said, trying to speak based on how the man was speaking to the women, and she was in almost perfect sync. _"Who am I kidding, it is you, it always has been you, I just never noticed until now that you never stop talking,"_ Valeria said. The man finished speaking and when he was done the women slapped him in the face and stormed off, as if he had actually said those things.

Valeria let out a laugh and I joined in a little. She looked at me surprised. "You're laughing, I believe that is the first time I have heard you laugh," she said as she looked towards me with a happy smile on her face. We finally stopped laughing and settled ourselves down. "Ok, your turn," she said.

"Alright then," I started to scan through the crowd. I saw a man looking through his pockets frantically for something. "How about that one," I said as I pointed to him. Valeria nodded and I thought of something to say. "_Damn, now where did I put it? In this pocket, no that is where I keep my money. In this pocket, no that is where I keep my ring so I can go to the brothel,"_ Valeria burst out laughing.

"I didn't think that was as funny as yours," I said. Valeria just looked at me with tear filled eyes. She wiped them away to calm herself down.

"Who cares, I liked it, and I told you we were going to be the best of friends. Look at how much fun we are having," she said as she looked out onto the street again.

'_Is this what 'having fun' means?_' I thought to myself. I saw Gabriele heading back towards us and so I got back to being serious and met up with him. "Did you get us a carriage," I asked.

"Yes and no," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him and he shrunk away from the gaze.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I have found a carriage, but there is only room for one, sorry but you will have to find your own way to _Firenze_," and with that, Gabriele took off and jumped in his own carriage. The driver took off and I stared in disbelief as I stared at the carriage that headed off down the road.

"_Bastardo_," Valeria said as she glared at the carriage. I huffed in frustration as I pinched the bridge of my nose. There were probably no other carriages left and we are probably going to have to buy a horse.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" I asked Valeria. She shook her head.

"Sadly no, I have never had any interactions with any horses, sorry," she replied. This is what I get for trusting people to take me somewhere. "I may have an idea though, wait here," Valeria said as she walked off in the direction of another carriage. I watched her as she conversed with middle aged man. I saw him nod his head and Valeria waved me over. "This man said he will give a ride to _Firenze_," she explained.

"Your friend explained to me what happened and I could hardly let a couple of _Bello Donne_ be stranded here. You men seem to fail to grasp the concept of respect," the man said, opening the door to the carriage and letting us in.

'_Uh, yeah, I still have my eye on you,_" I thought to myself as I took a seat next to Valeria. I gazed out the window as the drive urged the horses on. The countryside was a beautiful sight; however, I was too agitated to even think straight at that moment.

* * *

Finally we had arrived in _Firenze_ at around dusk. Valeria thanked the man that had taken us here and she dragged me off saying something about the sights.

"Look Azura, they leave the markets open late out here, let's go and have a look," she said as she took my arm and dragged me over there.

"Shouldn't we find a place to stay first?" I asked as I was being dragged along to a jewelry stand against my will.

"There will be time for that later. Look at all the pretty jewelry!" she exclaimed as she gazed upon the beautiful trinkets. Valeria picked up some silver earrings with stunning rubies in them.

"That is a fine set of earrings, they can be yours for a price, what do you say," the merchant said, trying to coax Valeria into buying them.

"They are fine, but I am looking for something stunning," Valeria stated. The merchant picked up a silver necklace with and amethyst jewel.

"This is a stunning one. How about this one?" the merchant asked. Valeria looked upon the necklace but shook her head. She scanned over the other necklaces and held one up.

"How about this one?" she asked. The stall holder clasped his hands together.

"Wonderful, that will be 150 florins," the merchant announced. Valeria pouted a little.

"You can't go any lower?" she said. Is she really haggling with a merchant? The merchant looked a bit nervous, afraid that Valeria would get upset with the price and leave.

"Tell you what, let's make it 50 florins, it is fine jewelry and fit for a fine _signora_ such as yourself," the merchant said. Valeria perked up at hearing this.

"Deal," she said, handing the florins to the merchant. She took the necklace and led me away from the stall. "Here, this is for you," she said, giving me the necklace. It was a beautiful silver necklace with a beautiful smooth cut azurite stone at the end of it. "I want you to have it as a sort of thanks for saving me," she said. I clipped the jewelry around my neck and looked at it. "You look beautiful," she said.

"No I'm not," I mumbled.

"You are. Don't look now, but I think someone has got their eye on you," she said. "We'll walk to a different stall and you subtly look over to our left," Valeria said as she slowly guided me to a different stall.

"Don't be ridiculous why would anyone waste their time on me," Valeria just narrowed her eyes at me.

"Come on, look now," She encouraged. I gave a sigh as I pretended to talk to Valeria while trying to locate the person who was looking at me. Sure enough I subtly glanced over at the person who was looking at me. It was so obvious that I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before.

The young man who was looking at me appeared to be the same age as Valeria and I. He had gorgeous hair that was held together in a ponytail with a ribbon. Mesmerizing eyes that looked to be a little golden, a handsome face and he looked to have a strong physique.

"Azura, are you paying attention?" Valeria asked me. I mentally shook myself and paid attention to Valeria. "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked in confusion.

"Go and talk to him," she said, hinting at the guy that was staring at me.

"I don't have time for such things. We really need to find a place to stay," I said trying to forget about the young man that was approaching us.

"You never know, he might be the one for you," Valeria said as her eyes filled with something I couldn't describe.

"What?" I asked skeptically.

"Have you never thought about finding the one person you could spend your whole life with?" Valeria said dreamily. "Go and talk to him," she said as she pushed me away and started to walk off.

"No," I said stubbornly. I only noticed now that the young man was getting closer.

"What are you afraid of?" she asked, looking at me questioningly.

"Nothing," I said, "I just don't have time for this," I started to whisper to her as the young man approached. She just giggled and walked over to the next stall. I sighed and turned around, only to nearly run into the young man. I stepped back a little and stood up straight and waited for him to say something. All he did was just stand there and smiled nervously.

"What?" I asked him.

"What?" he asked. Either he hasn't done this before or I may have left him a little speechless. Damn Valeria, putting thoughts into my head.

"Do you need something?" I asked, encouraging him to go on.

"Oh. Um… I just wanted to ask you something. Which is… What's your name?" he asked me nervously. What is it with these people and wanting to know my name?

"A name that you will never need to make use of," I said as I turned away to join up with Valeria.

"_Aspetta_! I wasn't ready. I was planning on being really charming. And funny! Can I just have a second chance?" he called out. I turned around and smiled sweetly at him before walking away again. I had to give him some credit for being brave enough to talk to me. Once I got back to Valeria she narrowed her eyes at me.

"What? I went and talked to him," I said innocently.

"You could have at least given him a chance," she said sternly.

"I told you, I don't have time right now, we may have to leave _Firenze _at any moment," I said under my breath so only Valeria could hear.

"Fine, whatever you say, but could you first come and help me with the Blacksmith. I found a really nice dagger that I just have to have but he is being really mean to me," Valeria said, pouting a little.

"Where do you get all your money from?" I asked her.

"I used to work in a bakery but the owner threw me out because I was getting more attention from the customers than her," she said.

"*sigh* fine, take me to this stupid blacksmith," I said in defeat. She dragged me over to where the shop was. When the blacksmith turned around he shot a glare at Valeria.

"I told you before. I will not sell this dagger for just money," he spat.

"Please, I'll pay you anything, just please can you give me that dagger," Valeria said in her most innocent voice.

"I will reconsider if you show me something you can trade with," the Blacksmith said.

"Do you want a couple of swords then?" I asked him. The Blacksmith looked at me questioningly.

"What kind of swords?" He said. I unsheathed the sword and showed the Blacksmith. Before he could grab it I moved it out of his reach.

"The dagger?" I asked. The Blacksmith glared at me.

"You said a _couple_ of swords. Show me another one and we can strike a deal," I looked towards Valeria.

"Give him your sword," I said. She unsheathed hers as well and I gave both of the swords to the blacksmith.

"A pleasure doing business with you," he said as he handed Valeria the dagger that she wanted. Once she paid the man with some money as well she dragged me away from the shop.

"How did you convince him to sell me the dagger?" she asked.

"I used to work at a blacksmith's shop. I kind of know what makes a man happy," I said as she led me to another stall.

"Look Azura, aren't these some tasty looking sweets," she said as she gazed upon the selection of food in front of us.

"Valeria, we really have to find a place to stay, it is getting pretty late right now," I said. She looked at me a little sadly. She nodded her head and I started to lead us away from the market stalls.

"Do you know where we could find a place to stay?" Valeria asked as she walked next to me.

"I'm not sure but I am confident we will find a place," I said as I started to scan our surroundings.

"You always know what to do Azura," Valeria said as she watched me scan the city.

"Did I hear you ladies say that you are looking for a place to stay?" I heard a man behind us ask.

'_Great, what now?_" I thought as Valeria and I turned around. It was that same guy from earlier accompanied by another person.

"Yes, we only just arrived, we are trying to look for a place to stay while we are here in the city," Valeria said. I tried to telepathically scream at Valeria to shut her big mouth.

"You can stay at our _palazzo _for the time being until you _Bella Donne _find another place," The one who spoke before suggested.

'_Don't say yes, don't say yes_,' I though as Valeria responded.

"We'd love to, thank you so much," Valeria said.

"Great, my brother and I will show you the way," he said as the both lead us down the street.

'_Oh, and they are brothers, yay. Just place a sign over my head that says __**'kill me now'**_,' I thought sarcastically to myself.

"This is great, come on," Valeria said as she dragged me along with her. We followed the two brothers and along the way Valeria had a conversation with the one who had spoken to us.

"By the way, my name is Federico Auditore, this here is my brother Ezio," Federico introduced him and his brother. "What are your names?" Federico asked.

"My name is Valeria, this here is my best friend Azura," Valeria said as she introduced us to the boys. Federico took Valeria's hand and kissed her on the knuckles.

"A pleasure to meet you both," he said with a seductive smirk. I stood off to the side, rolling my eyes. "We should hurry along to the _palazzo_ for it is getting late," he said as he took Valeria by the arm and led us all down the street.

* * *

We made it to the _palazzo_ a few minutes later. It was really something alright. I have never seen a larger house. I have only ever seen small shacks and houses only slightly large. But this was something new to me.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Ezio asked me. I just looked towards the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the world trying to avoid is gaze.

'_Am I being shy? I have never felt shy ever in my life,_' I thought to myself. Federico led us through the gates of the _palazzo_ entrance. He let go of Valeria's arm and headed for the front door.

"You two should wait here while we find our _padre_," he said as he let himself and Ezio in.

"Isn't that cute Azura, you're getting to meet you future father-in-law," Valeria teased. I felt my cheeks redden as I shot her a glare.

"You are getting closer than I am. And just so you know, nothing will ever happen in my love life, so just get that through your thick skull right now," I barked as I looked towards the ground again. Valeria look hurt for a bit but then her eyes softened.

"_Mi dispiace_ Azura, I didn't mean to tease. I promise you that I will never do it again, our friendship means that much to me," she said as she took and hand in both of hers and squeezed a little. I roughly took my hand back, still a little upset. The door opened up again and we were let in by Federico.

"Father wishes to speak with you shortly," Federico said as he closed the door behind us. If I thought the outside was impressive it was nothing compared to the inside of the _palazzo_.

Banners, plants and paintings were decorated all over the place. There was a table and some cushioned chairs around it and opposite the table set was a set of stairs that lead to the second story of the _palazzo_.

As I was taking in all the sights, Valeria more so than me, a middle-aged man exited a room from what I assume could be a study, Ezio followed the man out of the study as well. I assumed this was their father.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," he greeted. "My name is Giovanni," Giovanni said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Giovanni, my name is Valeria, this here is my friend Azura," Valeria said.

"You two are welcomed to stay here as long as you like, our door will always be open to you," Giovanni said with a warm smile.

'_Really, you let two strangers into you home without knowing anything about them, I will be keeping an eye on you lunatics,_" I thought to myself, keeping a straight poker face on.

"Why is it that you two are here exactly?" Giovanni said. Valeria was the one to speak.

"I was homeless when Azura found me a few days ago. I agreed to travel with her because she said I could help her with some research," Valeria said. Giovanni seemed intrigued by that.

"What kind of research?" Giovanni asked.

"Ancient history, archeology, but Azura is the expert on this stuff and she doesn't want to bore anyone with the details. Isn't that right Azura?" I stood in shock, to think that this girl could think on her own two feet so fast, I may start to reconsider leaving her behind.

"Yes, we are also quite tired from our travels," I finished for Valeria.

"Yes, you must be very tired; we have spare rooms in our _palazzo_. My son's will show you to your rooms," With that Giovanni walked back to his study.

"Well then, follow me _Bella_," Federico said as he took Valeria's arm and lead her up the stairs. I watched them both go up the stairs and wasn't sure whether I should follow.

"Azura is it?" I heard Ezio say as he stood next to me holding out his hand, "Shall I take you to your room then?" he said as he gave me a seductive smirk.

"I will let you if you stop looking at me like that," he looked at me a little shocked and hurt.

"Right this way then," he said as he led me up the stairs towards my room. We walked down the hall and past the room where Valeria and Federico where. Ezio opened the door next to Valeria's room and let me in. The room was quite large and stunning and stuck to the same theme as the rest of the _palazzo_. "It isn't very big, but it is only a guest room," he said.

"Are you kidding me?" I started to say, "I love it," I said as I took in the atmosphere of the room.

"I'm glad. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask," Ezio said as he started to make his way out of the room.

"Ezio," I called after him. He quickly turned around and met my gaze. They were some gorgeous eyes. "Thank you for letting us stay here," I said. He gave me a smile.

"It is no problem _Bella_. However…" he started to say with a seductive smirk, "…if you do ever start to feel lonely-'

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," I said. He gave me an apologetic look.

"Just saying," I narrowed my eyes at him and he just chuckled as he walked out of my room. I shut the door behind him and waited to make sure that he wouldn't come back. I gave a sigh of relief after waiting five minutes then walked away from the door.

'_Great, I am shy and paranoid that a hormonal teenager is going to come into my room late at night while I am sleeping. I can kill people in my sleep but cannot be confident in these situations? What is wrong with me?_" I took a deep breath and let it out before sitting down on my bed.

I looked through my satchel and pulled out the journal from Cypress. I decided that I should look through it another time, I am a little exhausted. I put the journal back in my satchel and placed it on the bedside table next to me.

* * *

I was about to fall asleep when I hear a knock on my door. I shot out of bed and onto my feet, wondering who on earth it was.

'_I swear, if it is Ezio,_" I thought to myself.

"Azura, its Valeria, are you awake?" I heard Valeria ask on the other side of the door. I made my way over to the door and opened it slightly to see a frightened Valeria. "I am really sorry to bother you, but I had a nightmare and I can't get back to sleep, can I come in?" she asked in a quiet and terrified voice.

"Yeah, come in," I mumbled as I let her in. Once I shut the door behind me, Valeria launched herself at me and hugged me around the waist.

"I was so scared," She said as she started to sob. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do in a situation like this. I returned her embrace hesitantly and tried to offer soothing.

"Easy now, tell me, what exactly happened in this nightmare?" I asked as I gingerly rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I was lost and alone. I tried looking for you in my dream but I couldn't find you, I was all alone again," she said as more tears started to roll down her face, soaking my shirt.

"Is that all? Valeria you don't have to cry about that, I find it really hard to get rid of you, and even if I did, you could just stay here with this family," I said. She looked up at me and wiped away her tears.

"Ok," she said weekly.

"You are never alone Valeria," I said to her. Once she wiped away at her tears she took deep breaths and calmed herself down.

"Don't tell anyone about this," she warned which cause me to laugh a little.

"Not a word, I promise," I said, "Are you going to be ok now?" I asked. She nodded as I opened the door and she walked back to her room.

"Thank you Azura, I don't feel alone anymore now that you're here," she said as she entered her own room.

'_Why do I still feel alone?_' I thought to myself as I entered my room again, closing the door and hoping into bed, trying to get some more rest.

* * *

**So there you have it, another chapter where I introduce the main character's strange friend and of course Ezio.**

**This was certainly the longest chapter I have ever written. So, tell me what you guys think, did you like it, did you hate it. Leave a review and as always, Happy reading.**

**-Midnight**


	3. I'm Sorry, Can I Have A Second Chance?

**Important! Please review, it helps out a lot to know that you guys are still interested or not!**

* * *

**I'm Sorry, Can I Have a Second Chance?**

I didn't get much sleep last night after Valeria woke me up because of her nightmare. I felt tired and all I really wanted to do was go back to sleep again, however, the incessant knocking on the bedroom door was making it very difficult for me to get back to sleep.

"Azura, wake up you silly sleepy head, it is a beautiful day outside," Valeria said as she kept knocking on the door.

"Go away," I said groggily as I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head so I could block out the noise. Everything went quiet and I thought that Valeria had given up. I then felt someone jump straight on top of me and crushed me between them and the mattress.

"It's time to get up. C'mon," Valeria said as she got off of me and pulled the covers away. I tried to grab them but she just moved them further away. I gave up and fell back on the pillows. "You not getting out of this so easily," Valeria said as she moved to the curtains and opened them up. I grabbed a pillow and pulled it over my head.

"Close those damn curtains," I spoke as my voice was muffled by the pillow.

"But you have to get up. You're going to teach me about Archeology and Ancient History," Valeria tried to push me out of the bed but I refused to move.

"I never said I would do that," I retorted as Valeria gave one final push but then gave up.

"But I want you to. I find that kind of stuff fascinating and I want to learn all that I can," Valeria said, sitting down on the bed and looking at her hands. I sighed and lifted myself up and sat next to her.

"Look, I don't have a lot of time to teach you all that I know right now," once I said this, Valeria looked down in sadness.

"However, when I get the chance I will teach you some things, deal?" I asked. Valeria's eyes brightened at this as she extended a hand towards me. I shook her hand and she jumped up with a big smile plastered on her face. I stood as well and rubbed at my eyes trying to get the sleep out of them.

"Before you head down stairs, we need to brush you hair and freshen you up a bit, you have really bad bed head," Valeria said as she started to move me over to the vanity.

"What?" I was trying to protest but she sat me down in front of the vanity's mirror and I saw what she meant. I had _really_ messy hair. Valeria picked up the brush on the vanity desk and began to brush the tangled mess. "I can do that myself you know," I said as I went to grab the brush out of her hands. She managed to pull the brush out of my reach and waved a finger in front of my face.

"Ah, ah, this is what friends do for each other, so sit down and let me brush your hair," I sat down and breathed out a huff of air as Valeria continued to brush the knots out of my hair. As she was doing so I stared at myself in the mirror.

I had blue eyes like sapphires, olive skin but not as tanned as Valeria, I still seemed quite pale compared to everyone else. I had pale to nearly gray lips, small nose and jawline, as well as a slender neck and light brown hair. I didn't see myself as special at all. Once Valeria finished she looked into the mirror with delight.

"There, you're beautiful," Valeria said. I stood and shook my head.

"No I'm not," I said, scoffing. Valeria laughed and shook her head.

"Come on, the Auditore family want to meet us and your holding us up," she said. I finished cleaning myself up and as soon as I was done Valeria then found some perfume and sprayed it one me. I gave her a glare and she just shrugged. "I want you to smell nice," she said as she started to drag me out of the room.

* * *

'_How did I get myself into this situation?_' I thought to myself. When Valeria finished dragging me out of the room I pulled myself out of her grasp and just followed her down the stairs. When we reached the dining area it seemed that everyone had taken their seats at the table. I noticed that the two brothers and the father were there but there were three other people that I did not recognize.

"Sorry we are late, I had to wake my friend up," Valeria said.

"There is no problem girls, come and take a seat," Giovanni said as Valeria took a seat. I sat in the one next to her, conveniently placed next to Ezio, much to my dismay. Ezio looked towards me and gave me a small seductive look making me look away at my food as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Valeria and Azura," Giovanni said as he introduced us respectively, "They will be staying with us for a while," he concluded.

I looked around the table and saw a young girl who may have been a few years younger than me, an older woman whom I was assuming to be the wife of Giovanni, and a young boy. The older woman was the one to speak.

"It is wonderful to have you girl's here. My name is Maria; this is my daughter Claudia, and my youngest son Petruccio," Maria said as she introduced us to her children, "I suspect that you have met my two eldest son's?" Maria asked.

"Yes, they have been very kind to offering us a place to stay," Valeria said.

"If they ever give you two trouble, don't hesitate knock them over the head," Claudia said teasingly and Valeria laughed along with her.

"_Ehi_, we aren't that bad, we just know when to appreciate beautiful women," Federico retorted as everyone at the table laugh. I just gave a fake smile and pretended to think everything was funny, until Ezio brushed his arm 'accidently' along mine, causing a shiver to go up my spine. He subtly gave me a smirk and I moved my arm to a safer spot, feeling my cheeks start to redden a little.

'_I may have to knock you over the head soon,_' I thought to myself. Everyone started to eat their breakfast. I just kind of ate little pieces at a time, I was still feeling hungry, but I didn't want to show it.

"So Azura, my husband tells me that you are an archeologist, where does one find work as an archeologist?" Maria asked as I was about to put some food in my mouth.

"Well…" I began as I placed my food back on the table, "…a client usually asks someone of my profession to retrieve certain antiquities or artifacts. I then have to research on these kinds of artifacts and provide information to the client.

Information such as what era the object came from, what it would have been used for, what it is made out of and any other significance it may have to the client. A great deal of money is usually paid to those who can do the job right," I said as I went back to eating.

"It seems like you are a very smart women," Maria complimented. I nodded thanks as I took another bit of my food. "But to retrieve such items, wouldn't that be dangerous?" Maria asked, sounding worried.

"That's why not a lot of people do it. It wouldn't pay so well if it weren't dangerous," I said as I took yet another bite from my food. "But I was trained well so that when I go into dangerous crypts and temples that I don't get severely hurt, otherwise I wouldn't be an archeologist," I said after swallowing my food.

"I bet you travel a lot," Claudia said, joining in on the conversation.

"I suppose," I said.

"Do you work alone?" Claudia asked. Valeria answered before me.

"She has me," Valeria said.

"When did you two meet?" Claudia asked.

"A few days ago in _Venezia_," Valeria stated, "I am only new to this archeology thing and I want to learn all that I can so Azura is going to teach me," she concluded happily.

"How long have you been an archeologist for though? Did you not have anyone else help you before?" Claudia asked eagerly.

"Yes I did work with someone recently," I said, hesitating slightly.

"Where are they now?" Claudia asked.

'_Stop asking me questions and leave me in peace people_,' I thought grumpily. "I don't know," I simply said and continued to eat my food. Everyone went on to chat quietly among themselves as I just sat there thinking about Rena. '_I still can't believe she would do something like that,_' I thought to myself, poking at my food.

"Are you alright _bella_?" I heard Ezio ask me. I looked towards him and saw that he had a worried look on his face.

"I'll be fine," I said as I went back to eating again. Once everyone had finished the maids cleared the table and headed into the kitchen to clean. Giovanni excused himself as he went to his study and Maria and Claudia went to take Petruccio to his room.

"So how about my brother and I take you lovely ladies on a tour of the city," Federico suggested. Valeria smiled in delight as she looked at me.

"That's sounds great doesn't it Azura?" Valeria asked.

"I thought you wanted me to teach you about Archeology?" I questioned.

"You can do that while we take a walk. Come on it will be great," Valeria said with trying to encourage me. I let out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright, just let me get my satchel before we head out," I said as I got out of my chair.

"I need to get mine too," Valeria said as she got out of her chair and went for my arm to drag me up the stairs.

"Don't drag me around this time," I warned.

"Sorry," she said as she just happily followed me up the stairs. I made it to my room and reached under my bed for my satchel. Luckily it was still there and I pulled it out and made sure everything was still there. "Why do you keep you satchel under the bed?" Valeria asked as I looked through it.

"So no one steals anything from it," I said. Everything seemed to be there so I slung it over my shoulder and followed Valeria into her room.

"It is so nice that Federico is taking us on a tour of the city," Valeria said. It was then that it hit me, though it seemed so obvious from the start, I hadn't noticed until now.

"You've got a crush on him," I simply stated. Valeria went bright red and turned away from me to grab her satchel.

"N-no I don't," she said, stuttering a little. I chuckled.

"Whatever you say," I said. She slung her satchel over her shoulder and we both went down the stairs. Both of the boys were waiting for us down stairs near the front door.

"Are you two _bello signore_ ready to go?" Federico asked.

"Ready when you are," Valeria said. Federico extended his arm out for Valeria to take in which she happily did as he escorted her out of the _palazzo_. Ezio extended his arm out for me and I just gave him a confused look.

"It is a gentlemen's job to help escort a lady is it not?" Ezio said with a smile.

"Well, it is going to take more than that to get my attention, but nice try," I said as I defiantly walked out the door myself. Ezio shut the front door behind us and caught up with me.

"I bet I can turn that no into a yes," He said, trying to close the space between us. I simply scoffed and moved away.

"Now that would be a trick," I replied. Ezio smirked at this.

"I think I have initiated a challenge," He said, giving me a seductive smirk.

"I bet you woo all the ladies like this," I said, trying not to meet his gaze.

"You are impressed then?" he asked in a low voice.

"Oh yes, especially that time when we first met, I fell for you straight away," I said with sarcasm dripping off every word.

"Well, you are a beautiful woman, you simply left me speechless. That to me is a remarkable trait," he countered.

"Go jump off a building," I snapped.

"Your every wish is my command," Ezio chuckled. I rolled my eyes and walked faster to keep up with Federico and Valeria.

* * *

During the whole tour Ezio kept trying to win me over. He tried to buy me flowers, jewelry and even tried to buy me a deep blue shawl. He tried to guide me away for puddles and the dirtiest parts of the streets. I was too busy trying to ignore him that I nearly tripped over; however, he managed to catch me in his strong arms.

"You should watch were you a going, I won't always be here to catch you," He said as he brought me back up with his arms still holding me protectively. Time to fight fire with fire.

"Ezio…" I said in the softest voice I could muster.

"_Si?_" he said in a husky voice as he leaned in to hear what I had to say.

"…you win, I'll be yours," I whispered so only he could here, "You can do with me as you wish," upon hearing this Ezio's eyes widened in surprise but was quickly replaced with a seductive look. He smirked as he leaned in closer, our noses nearly touching.

"I knew you would say yes _principessa_," he whispered huskily with a triumphant look. I started to squirm in his arms.

"However, could you please let go, your crushing me with your strong arms," I said, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

"I'll loosen them then, I promise I will be gentle, but I won't let you go after I have already claimed you," he said as he loosened his arms. That was the ticket, as soon as one off my arms was free enough; I slapped him across the face, causing him to stumble backwards and freeing me from his grasp.

"I am not some trophy you can claim," I hissed as I walked off. I saw Valeria waiting around by herself and I went and joined her.

"How are you enjoying the walk?" she asked.

"Fine," I huffed, rolling my eyes. Valeria noticed my distress and looked at me worriedly.

"What happened?" she asked concern in her voice.

"He thinks of me as some trophy," I said looking down at the ground angrily and fiddling with my hands. Valeria let out a sigh and shook her head.

"He is a young and stubborn man, just like you are young and stubborn-"

"You think I am stubborn?" I snapped at Valeria, cutting her off, "You hardly know me," I said as I went back to staring at the ground and fiddling with my hands.

"You're right, I don't know you that well, but I think I know a stubborn person when I see one," Valeria continued but I ignored her, "As a friend, I am advising you, give him a chance," she said softly.

"_Give him a chance_?" I hissed harshly which caused Valeria to recoil a little, "You know what, I don't need to hear this anymore, I'm going for a walk _by myself_," I said as I walked away from Valeria.

"Azura wait!" I heard her call out but I continued walking to who knows where. As long as I was away from those crazy people I would be happy.

* * *

I walked around for a while, not really knowing where I was going but not really caring, either way I had to be alone. I walked into a secluded area of the city and found an empty rooftop that shielded me from view. I was alone. I hugged at my knees and buried my head in my arms, hoping that everything bad that has happened in my life would disappear and I could be happy again. I just disappeared into a world of my own.

_I busily swept the floor of the blacksmith, happily humming a tune to myself. I felt really delighted today; I felt that I could take on the world. I opened the side door to the shop and swept out the dirt into the alleyway._

"_Lyra, you don't always have to keep the place clean, I will just dirty up the place anyway," I heard a man and turned around to see Aeron walk down the stairs._

"_Don't be silly, I want to do this for you, seeing as you are busy with new orders each day," I said. Aeron chuckled a little and unlocked the door to the shop._

"_Are you ready for the day ahead?" he asked. I nodded eagerly as he took both of my hands in his, "Now Lyra, promise me that you will not overdo it today, ok?" Aeron asked as I shook my head. "That's my girl, come one, there is much to do," and with that we got to work._

_We had a decent amount of people buy our goods today, we always do, and by the evening we still had one or two people come in. We were down to our last customer of the day and he was happy with what he bought and Aeron thanked him for his service._

"_By the way sir, your daughter is very beautiful, she would make a fine wife on day," the man said before exiting the shop. Aeron locked the door as soon as the man was out, but I felt as if my world was falling to pieces._

"_Lyra?" I heard Aeron ask with concern. I tried to fight back tears that threatened to fall._

"_Why?" I simply said as I covered my eyes._

"_Sorry," was all that Aeron could say._

I couldn't cry this time, not anymore, I'm such an idiot. I regretted snapping at Valeria like that and thought about decided that I should go back and say sorry. I jumped down from the building and walked off to where I thought would be where I left everyone. As I walked along, I suddenly got the feeling that someone was following me. I stopped and searched around and then I heard feet scuffling along the ground.

"Come out now!" I demanded as I turned my attention to the source of the noise. I heard giggling, and then the person stepped out from their hiding spot, probably the last person I would ever want to see. "Rena," I growled harshly.

"I didn't expect to see you hear Lyra, I thought you would have been caught for sure, but I should have known better," she said, flicking her hair out of the way.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked showing my distaste upon seeing her again.

"I'm working for the people who are searching for the same object as we are," she said in a sinisterly delighted voice.

"There is no _we_ anymore, you made that very clear in Cypress now leave me the fuck alone bitch," I said as I went to turn away.

"Don't you dare fucking walk away from me," Rena screamed.

"Watch me," I said as I kept walking.

"My client is looking for that journal you know, the one you _stole_, remember?" I heard her say. I stopped walking and my eyes widened.

'_How does she know about that?_' I thought to myself as I calmed down and turned towards her. "What client?" I asked. She smiled maliciously and waved her finger at me.

"Don't play dumb, I think you both know who I am talking about, or have you forgotten about the letter that the overseer was holding," Rena said as she crossed her arms and looked at me defiantly.

'_Fucking bitch_,' I thought as I clenched my fists by my side. She smiled at my reaction and extended her hand.

"You know I never disappoint a client, so give me the journal, and I'll let you walk away from this. I'll take over from here and you can go home," she said waiting for me to hand her the journal. I grabbed my satchel and held it close, waiting for anything to happen. "Come on now, don't make this difficult, for either of us," she said.

"You don't know what difficult is. You know nothing of my hardships!" I yelled.

"Yes, yes, that whole assassination thing, would you just give me the journal now?" Rena demanded as she stood there impatiently.

"No," I said as I took a step back.

"No?" Rena asked incredulously.

"I don't want this journal to fall into the hands of anyone but myself, neither do I want those artifacts to as well, so no. I will not hand over this journal," I expected anything to happen at this moment, but this was new even for Rena, as she just simply stood there and crossed her arms.

"There is more than one way to skin a rabbit," she said. I glared at her as she stared back at me. I then heard another voice coming in the direction behind me.

"Azura, where are you, please come out," I heard Valeria call out as I turned in the direction of the voice.

"Well, isn't that cute, my replacement it seems," Rena said as she turned on her heel and started to walk off.

"Trust me, no one could ever replace a devious bitch, Rena," I retorted. She glared at me as she ran off.

"Azura, I'm sorry, please come out," I heard Valeria call out again. I guess it was time for me to apologize.

"Over hear Valeria," I called out. I heard her rushed footsteps as she rounded a corner and saw me there.

"_Grazie a dio_, I thought I would never find you," she said as she launched herself at me and gave me a bone crushing hug. "I'm sorry for calling you stubborn, I should never had said that, you are my best friend and I don't want us to stay mad at each other," she said as she hugged me tighter.

"Val-," I wheezed out trying to say her name.

"I will try to be a much better friend from now on, I promise, I won't even call you stubborn," Valeria continued, not listening to me trying to gasp for air.

"Val-," I wheezed again, this time she heard me and looked at me concerned, "G-get o-off," I managed to say. She realized this and let go of me instantly as I took in as much air as I could. "I thought we agreed to never do that again," I said once I had caught my breath again.

"I thought you said you wouldn't leave me," she countered. She looked at me sadly and I breathed out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind lately, I should have never snapped at you," I sincerely apologized. Valeria just gave me one of her smiles.

"That's ok, I am just glad that you are hear and alright, I thought I lost you," she said, "Come on, let's get out of here," she said as she led me back to the busier parts of _Firenze_.

"Where are Federico and Ezio?" I asked, thinking they would have been with Valeria.

"Federico searched with me for a while but insisted on taking me back to the _palazzo_. I convinced him that I would be fine by myself so we split up to search for you. Ezio was the first one to take off and look for you," she explained as we walked.

"Oh, remind me when we get back that I need to do some more apologizing," I told Valeria.

"I figured as much when I saw the red mark on Ezio's face," she said as she giggled a little.

"Was it that obvious?" I asked. She giggled a little more at that.

"If you don't mind me saying, that was some strike you gave him," she said and then started laughing.

"He is lucky that he isn't one of those guards," I said as I laughed a little as well. Our laughs died down as we entered the busier streets of _Firenze_.

"So how are you going to apologize?" Valeria finally asked.

"I have a plan, I thought for a lot while I was gone, it's a long story. By the way, this job that I am currently doing can wait, and I'll teach you everything I know about history and archeology whenever you want. How does that sound?" I asked, looking at a gleeful Valeria.

"You meant it?" she asked

"It will certainly be a nice change of pace for me," I said, smiling at her.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked as she looked at me seriously.

"Like I said, it is a long story, but it does lead back to how I am going to apologize to Ezio and why I am postponing my job," I said.

"You are so impossible Azura," Valeria said as she playfully pushed me.

"No, just improbable," I said as I smirked a little. We reached the front of the _palazzo_ and out the front of it stood Federico. Relief seemed to wash over him as he saw Valeria with me. He went to join us as we went through the gate.

"I am so relieved that you are both alright," He said, mostly talking to Valeria than me, but I wasn't bothered by that.

'_Ezio isn't here. I wonder if he is still looking for me?_' I thought to myself.

"Where is Ezio," Valeria asked as if taking the words from my head.

"Probably still looking for you Azura," Federico said as he turned his attention to me, "I'm sure he will come back, he sure seemed worried, for now let's get you two inside," he opened the door and allowed us to go inside.

"Wait," I said, getting their attention, "Let's not talk about what happened today, I don't want anyone else worrying about it," Valeria and Federico exchanged glances and both nodded in agreement. "Thank you," I said as I followed them through the door.

* * *

By this time it was the middle of the day and Ezio hadn't returned yet. Valeria sat with me in my room as I read from one of my books. She borrowed one teaching her about Ancient Egypt. That one really fascinated her the most.

"What do you think the living conditions would have been like there?" she contemplated as she read through the book.

"Well, for one thing, their drinking water was crap," I bluntly replied.

"What would they drink then if their drinking water is in poor condition?" she asked.

"They drank beer instead," I responded.

"What is that?" she asked looking up from the book.

"It is a brew that was made by the Sumerians using barley or wheat. It is an alcoholic beverage and I kind of like wine I guess you would say," I rambled as Valeria listened with fascination.

"You sure know a lot," she said as she picked up her book again.

"It was just an interesting fact that I found out. Before I actually tried beer I asked someone 'who made this?' and it turned out that the guy was a fanatic about beer and told me everything," I said. After a few minutes Valeria closed the book and got off the bed.

"I'm going to my room now, I'll be there if you need anything," she said as she walked out of my room, closing the door. I sat there reading my book for another few minutes before closing it and placing it on the bedside table. Stretching, I got myself comfortable on the bed, trying to take a nap. As soon as I settled down someone knocked on my door and I grumpily got up and answered it. It was Ezio.

"Before you say anything, I just wanted so say that I am sorry for the way I acted, I am just glad that you are ok," He said as he stood in the doorway. I stared into his eyes and saw sincerity in them. He must have been worried.

"I need to tell you something too; do you want to come in?" I asked. He nodded so I opened the door and let him in, closing it after he stepped through. "I am so sorry for the way I acted as well, and I didn't mean to worry anyone when I took off. I guess what I am trying to say is, can you forgive me?" I said as I looked into his eyes to find any sign of forgiveness. He then gave me a smirk.

"You did hit me pretty hard," he said, rubbing the spot where I hit him.

"I'm sorry, you don't need to be a jerk about it," I said, snapping a little. He put his hands up in defense and stepped back a little.

"You're right, but you don't need to apologize for anything," he said as he gave me a genuine smile. I stood there feeling like an idiot.

'_You said you had a plan dumbass, what are you waiting for, go with it_," my mind battled with myself as I took a breath and released it. "I don't suppose that, you want that second chance now. I mean if you're still interested," I suggested as I started biting my lip a little, '_Why does this have to be so difficult,_' I thought nervously looking at the ground.

I felt a strong hand on my cheek as I felt it lift my face up to meet with Ezio's. He then wrapped his arms around my waist and I laid my hands upon his chest. He looked down at me with half lidded eyes.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place," he teased, touching his nose with mine, "I have to admit that this is a better way than in a public place," he said in a husky voice.

"What do you mean?" I said as my heart started to beat faster and faster.

"You're special, I don't want to have to treat you with any disrespect, and I want to try and be better this time," he said. I think I knew what he meant when he started to lean closer, aiming for my lips. Before he could I quickly turn my head away causing him to stop.

'_What the hell is wrong with me? What the fuck am I running away from here?_' I thought aggressively in my head.

"What's wrong," Ezio asked as he tried to get a better look at my face.

"I don't know, it has been a while since I have been with anyone before, I'm a little nervous to be honest," I finally said.

"Take as long as you need. I'll be right here," he said in a low tone. It was now or never.

I faced him then as I brought my hands up to wrap around his neck. His eyes watched my hands travel, but he didn't make a move himself, afraid that he would scare me. I brought his head down so that our noses were touching again and I could feel his breath on my face. His slow breathing seemed to calm me down a little and gave me enough courage to kiss him.

Kissing was smoother than I remember, but it must have been that Ezio was taking his time with me. He was gentle and started to rub my back with his hands. One hand snaked its way into my hair and held me closer as Ezio tried to deepen the kiss. I felt his tongue try to gain access as he licked my lips, but I was too afraid so I pulled away, and he seemed surprised by that but stared into my eyes softly.

"I'm sorry," I said. He placed the hand that was in my hair upon my jawline and rubbed my cheek with his thumb.

"Don't be _amore mio_, you don't have to rush, I'll wait," he said as he chuckled a little. I smiled sweetly in which he rubbed our noses together lovingly.

* * *

For the first time in a long while I have felt the happiest I have ever been. By now it was night time and I was really tired from my day. I checked through my satchel and made sure that everything was in there then placed it underneath the bed. I had a bath and they even gave us nightgowns as our clothes were being washed. I didn't really like wearing a nightgown but I didn't complain.

I read through a few pages of the book I was reading earlier, but I started to feel sleepy, so I closed the book and blew out the candles. I got myself comfortable underneath the covers and laid my head on the pillow. I then heard my door open and close as the intruder tried to take light steps towards my bed. I knew who it was.

"You aren't very good at being sneaky Ezio," I said without looking at him.

"How did you know it was me?" he said, a little surprised.

"Because only two people would dare come in here and Valeria stalks like a cat," I said. I felt the mattress move as Ezio lay down next to me and moved some hair out of my face.

"You smell beautiful," I turned to look at him and smiled.

"Thanks," I simply said. He bent down and pecked me on the lips, "but why are you here, you aren't trying to sleep with me are you?" I teased.

"Only if you want me to, as I have said before, your wish is my command," he said in a sexy and seductive voice.

"In your dreams," I said as I punched him playfully.

"Oh, but Azura, you are always in my dreams," he said in a playful manner.

"You only just met me yesterday," I responded.

"And you have been in my dreams ever since," he said as he caressed my cheek. I scoffed and pushed his hand away. "Admit it, you felt something when you first met me, have you not?" he said as he stared into my eyes.

"Nothing but nausea," I teased.

"You've harmed me with cruel words," he said, looking hurt.

"You still love me," I said giving him a smirk.

"That I do," he replied, leaning down and kissing me lightly. Once he broke the kiss he proceeded to take off his shirt and toss it to the side. I blushed madly like a bride.

"W-what are y-you doing," I stuttered. He smirked as he moved himself under the covers and pulls me closer. My hands instinctively went to his well-toned chest but I removed them quickly. His arms went around me protectively and he placed his chin on top of my head.

"I am getting comfortable," he chuckled lightly and rubbed small circles on my back. I relaxed a little and placed my hands back on his chest.

"So, do you usually sleep with women and then leave in the morning, not ever seeing them again?" I asked, wondering how he would respond.

"I will stay, I promise, I will be here when you wake up," he responded, kissing me on the forehead. I was somewhat satisfied with the answer and closed my arms, feeling safe in his arms. I haven't felt like this in a long time. "_Ti amo_," he whispered against my hair.

'_A little early to be saying that_,' I thought to myself. But I do admit, there was a little something that I felt, a spark of some sort, but I would never openly admit that to the world. Though here would do I guess.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

* * *

**Well that is a new chapter posted. **

**Sorry it took so long, Spyro the Dragon distracted me. How could you not look at that game and say "I think I'll play this again for the infinite time," that game is just so darn awesome.**

**Anyways leave a review if you liked it you have no idea how much it helps me out. So if you want those new chapters keep reviewing. And as always, happy reading.**

**-Midnight.**


	4. Show Me That I Can Trust You

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**LucDeep**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

* * *

**Show Me That I Can Trust You**

I woke the next morning felling refreshed and having the sense of belonging brought back into my life again. It was still early in the morning. I stretched and rolled over, only to be mere inches away from Ezio's face, which startled me a little. I was surprised to still see him here but was grateful that he did stay because it showed that he wanted to try for me. All of a sudden, he stretched his arms out and grabbed me by the waist and pulled me closer to him.

"_Venire_ _qui_ (come here you)," he mumbled wrapping his arms around me. I saw him smile and open one eye to look at me.

"I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon," I responded. We both looked into each other's eyes for a while, trying to read each other, figuring out what the other person was thinking. I saw warmth and comfort in his eyes and it made me feel safe. "I'm still sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have-" he cut me off by bringing me into a kiss.

I was caught off guard but I closed my eyes and let him kiss me. His hands tangled through my hair and mine rested on his shoulders. He licked my lips trying to gain access. I was still a little nervous but I knew somehow that I could trust him. I allowed him to explore my mouth and he took this opportunity to roll me onto my back.

His knees sat either side of my legs and He rested his left forearm above my head. I went to grab his hair with my hands but his free one gabbed my left hand as he broke the kiss. He then enter twined his fingers with mine and kissed the back of my hand. He looked down at me and smirked causing me to blush a little.

"I must have quite an effect on you to cause you to blush like that," he said in a husky voice. I turned away and used the other hand to cover my face, "There is no need to hide _caro _you are beautiful," he chuckled as he removed my hand with his left one. He rested his forearm back down and kissed my forehead and placed his other hand above my head as well still with his fingers enter twined with mine.

He then went to my lips and claimed them in another kiss. I broke the kiss after a while to catch by breath but Ezio kept going from my jawline and down my neck which tickled a little. I let a little gasp as he lightly bit my neck and then gave a small kiss there.

"Please stop," I whispered lightly feeling nervous from this new sensation. He lingered there for some time before rolling on to his side as he still held my hand. He looked a little disappointed and rubbed his thumb over my hand. "I'm sorry," I whispered inaudibly and I thought that he might not have heard me.

"Don't be, I said I would respect your wishes, so I will," he said, holding me close again and rubbing small circles on my back for comfort.

"Thank you," I whispered and he smiled giving me a kiss on the nose. We stayed like that until the sun fully rose. "Are you going to go now?" I asked.

"Do you want me to?" he looked at me waiting to hear what I would say.

"It would be weird for you to be here though and I don't want people asking questions yet," I said.

"I suppose," he said as he took both of my hands and kissed them lightly. "I'll see you soon," he said as he got up and collected his shirt. I watched as he put it on and came back and kissed me. He then made his way towards the window which made me jump up out of bed.

"What are you doing?" I whispered harshly. He gave me a confused look and pointed to the window.

"I thought you said I should leave," he replied.

"Not out the window," I said. He smirked at me and opened the curtains and the window.

"Don't worry I'll be fine," he said as he jumped out. I rushed to the window and saw him safely on the ground and wave up to me. I rolled my eyes and closed the window and shut the curtains. I guess if I can climb buildings then it would be no problem for him. He probably climbs up to girls window's all the time. I grabbed my clean clothes, brushed my hair, and was ready for the day ahead.

* * *

"So you're saying that the Egyptians only wrote in consonants and never in any vowels," Valeria asked as we walked through the streets of _Firenze_.

"Exactly, when using hieroglyphs, the signs that they used were categorized into three things: logograms are signs that write out morphemes, phonograms are the signs that represent one or more sounds and determinatives that help with the meaning of a group of signs that precede them," I explained as I pointed some signs out to Valeria, "Those are examples of logograms," Valeria looked down at the signs in her book.

"Incredible," Valeria said as she studied the words in the book.

"What nonsense are you two talking about?" Ezio said as he and Federico were both tagging along behind us. They had _insisted_ that they would escort us.

"We told you before that Azura would be teaching me about Ancient Egypt. If you don't like it then we'll walk ourselves," Valeria said smiling at the two.

"There is no need for that _bella_ we are more than happy to escort you two ladies," Federico said. Valeria looked towards me and rolled her eyes letting out a small giggle.

"So what about this Pyramid, why was it built, and how for?" Valeria asked.

"It was built for Pharaoh Khufu-" I then heard Ezio snicker behind us.

"What kind of a name is that?" He asked still snickering. I glared over my shoulder at him and he stopped.

"As I was saying, it was built for Pharaoh Khufu as his personal tomb where he could be buried with his belongings so that he can have a safe trip into the afterlife," I explained.

"They actually believed that they would have their possessions in the afterlife?" Ezio asked.

"Yeah I guess they did. The favourite servants were also buried alive with the Pharaoh so that they would serve them in the afterlife. I believe they also buried their pets too," I nonchalantly explained as the other three looked horrified.

"It's a good thing I'm not a servant in Ancient Egypt then," Valeria said as she gave me back the book which I placed back in my satchel. "What else do you have?" she asked me.

"I think you've learned enough for today," I said as I closed my satchel. Valeria looked disappointed and started walking backwards in front of me. "What are you doing," I chuckled a little and gave her a confused look.

"I am going to keep walking like this until you give me another book," she said with the biggest grin on my face.

"Come on now you're going to trip of you keep walking like that," I said as a bad feeling started to form in the pit of my stomach.

"Give me another book then I will stop walking backwards," she said childishly. I rolled my eyes at that.

"I'll give you one when we get back to the _palazzo_, how about that?" I asked here.

"Perfect," she said in a triumphant voice. She turned back around but bumped into someone and fell back on me. I caught her and placed her back on her feet. "Ugh," she said and looked down at the person she bumped into. "Sorry," she said to the person who happened to be a young man about Ezio's age.

"Watch where you're going _puttana_," the young man rudely said as he got up and dusted himself off.

"I said I was sorry," Valeria said looking insulted. The young man then looked at Federico and Ezio and a smug look crossed his face.

"Well, if it isn't the Auditore brothers, a nice surprise to see you without any guards around," he said. Ezio looked like he was going to beat the guy up but Federico stopped him.

"We have no quarrel with you today Vieri and the lady said that she was sorry so no harm done," Federico said.

"No harm was done? _She_ was the one who bumped into _me_. She should be showing me some respect," Vieri spat.

"I said I was sorry you don't need to be a jerk about it," Valeria said. Vieri fumed as he started to approach Valeria but I stood between the two.

"Get out of the way," he said as he pointed a finger at me. I instantly grabbed his finger and twisted his hand back causing him to cry out in pain.

"Now you listen to me," I started to say lowly, "you are going to accept my friend's apology and you are going to walk away quietly or I will be forced to snap your hand in two," I let go of his hand and pushed him away. He held his hand with the other one and glared at me.

"This isn't over," He said as he took off down the street.

'_Fucking drama queen_," I thought to myself and turned to Valeria. "You ok?" I asked.

"I am thanks to you. You was that creep anyway?" Valeria asked.

"Vieri de' Pazzi," Ezio simply said as he looked angrily down the street.

"I take it that you guys are not friends," I said. He looked at me and shook his head.

"Far from it," he replied.

'_Wait a second, did he say, de' Pazzi_,' I thought to myself, "Does his family hold some influence in this city?" I asked.

"They are somewhat," Ezio replied. I thought so but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want anyone to know why I was really here.

"Why don't we head back home? I think we have done enough walking," Federico said as he took offered his arm to Valeria and they started to head back. I went to follow but stopped when I noticed that Ezio was still standing there.

"Are you ok?" I asked. He went back to reality and looked at me.

"I'm fine," he replied, "Let's go," he said as he walked with me. We followed Valeria and Federico as they were laughing about something. I then felt Ezio start to wrap his hand around mine and gave me a little smirk. Yeah, he seemed to be back to his old self. I chuckled lightly and freed my hand from his grasp.

* * *

We got back to the _palazzo_ a few minutes after. Valeria was talking to Federico about something but I wasn't really paying any attention as Ezio wanted to play a little tickling game and tried to tickle me. Much to his dismay I wasn't ticklish anywhere.

"Oh, I want to show you something Federico, come with me," Valeria said as she dragged Federico with her up the stairs and to her room. I laughed a little and Ezio tried to tickle me again.

"Would you stop that already," I said trying to get his hands off of me.

"There is no way that you are not ticklish," he said. He gave up finally and shook his head. Giovanni then exited his study and saw us standing there.

"Ah Ezio I have been meaning to speak to you. Could you please come into my study," Giovanni said as he waved Ezio over to the study.

"I'll see you in a moment," Ezio said as he joined his father in the study. I walked off to my room and placed my satchel down on the bed. I then started to flick through the journal and saw the words _Yona Guni_.

'_I wonder what that means_,' I thought as I read through the notes on the page, '_Something to do with Japan. The notes say that it is the westernmost Island of Japan. That's interesting but what does it have to do with the artifact?_' I thought as I continued to read through more notes. '_The wrong one? What is that supposed to mean?_' I contemplated. I heard a knock at the door and looked up to see Ezio standing there.

"_Ehi_," he said.

"Are you finished talking with your father already?" I asked as I shut the journal and placed it in my satchel.

"About that, he said he wants to talk to you, in his study," I panicked on the inside a little but calmed myself down quickly before Ezio notice.

"Oh, really, what about?" I asked. I thought I saw a little sadness in his eyes but I wasn't quite sure.

"I don't know but he said it was really important. I'll take you to his study," He said as he waited for me to get up and walk out of the room. I knew something was up when he didn't even look at me like he would usually do.

"What's going on?" I whispered to him as we stood outside of Giovanni's study. He didn't respond and knocked on the door. Giovanni opened the door and saw me.

"Ah, Azura, come in," he said as he motioned for me to enter. I was hesitant at first but I slowly walked in anyway. "Wait outside Ezio," Giovanni said as he closed the door behind us. I watched him with careful eyes as he went and sat at his desk. He motioned for me to sit on the other chair and I reluctantly did.

"So why do you wish to speak with me?" I asked. He sat there watching me like an eagle.

"Why are you here exactly?" Giovanni asked.

"Just to see the sights," I smugly replied as I matched his stare.

"I know about you little journal that you acquired in Cypress," He said, not even flinching from my glare. How the fuck does he know this?

"What journal?" I asked hoping that playing dumb would throw him off.

"Don't play dumb, in the wrong hands, this journal could be deadly. If you have it with you I suggest you give it to me right now," he said, raising his voice a little.

"And I suggest you don't piss me off otherwise things may get a little _bloody_ around here," I responded. He sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Look, you don't seem like a bad person, but you don't know what these people are like. Please I just want you to hand over the journal and we never have to speak of this again," he said as he looked at me calmly which pissed me off even more.

"What else is there?" I asked.

"Excuse me," he said and I knew he was trying to play dumb with me as well.

"What else do you want besides the journal?" I asked again, a little more harshly. He sighed in defeat and pushed a set of keys across the desk. "What is this?" I asked glancing down at the keys then glaring back at him again.

"We have a small guest house not too far from here," he said.

"And?" I asked as I started to lose my patience.

"You must never speak to anyone of this family again. Holding that journal will cause a lot of trouble. Here are your options: option one, give me the journal and I will let you and Valeria stay here for as long as you like. The journal will be passed on to people I trust and none of this will be spoken of again.

Option two, you can keep the journal but you and Valeria will have to leave and stay in the guest house from then on. But know this, if you choose option two I don't want you near my family again," he said and sat back in his chair. I stared at the keys and weighed my options.

"How would option two affect Valeria?" I asked. He stared at me for a while before replying.

"It will affect her the same way. She is your collaborator and if you choose option two then I don't want her associating herself with this family either," he said grimly.

"So you condemn another person for my own choices? What kind of person does that?" I asked harshly. He only stared at me sternly while I glared at him. I roughly took the keys off the desk and walked out the door slamming it behind me. Ezio stood outside and when he saw me it looked as if his heart sank.

"Azura…" he spoke but I cut him off.

"You about this didn't you? And you didn't think to warn me?" I asked, or more likely, practically yelled at him.

"_Per favore_, I'm sorry, I don't want you to go," he said as he reached out for me.

"Too late," I harshly replied as I made my way up the stairs. I got to my room and heard Ezio running after me.

"Wait Azura," he said I saw him coming up the stairs. I quickly slammed the door before he could reach me. "Let me talk to you," I heard him say on the other side of the door.

"Go away!" I yelled and went around to my bed and grabbed my satchel and threw the keys in there. I hear a knocking on the door and got really angry. "I said go away Ezio!" I yelled as I sat on the bed and hugged at my knees. '_I never want to speak to him again_,' I thought to myself.

"Azura it's actually Valeria please let me in," Damn it. What was I supposed to tell her? That the really nice family that let us stay is willing to kick us out over some journal that I am too proud to give up? She is going to hate me forever. "Azura open up you're stating to scare me," Valeria said on the other side of the door as she knocked again.

"I want you to come in alone," I said, still sitting on the bed and hugging at my knees. I soon felt someone sit next to me and I looked up and saw Valeria sitting there.

"What happened? Ezio said you seemed upset," she said as she looked at me concerned. I shook my head and looked away at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've done something incredibly stupid. I need to tell you something and afterwards you can decide whether you don't want to be my friend or not," I explained feeling a slight tugging pain in my chest.

"I'll always be your friend. Now tell me what is wrong," I took a deep breath and began to tell her everything.

"When I went to Cypress, I picked up a journal, a very special journal and it seems very powerful people are after it. Somehow Giovanni found out I had it and he is one of those people who want it too. It was either hand him a journal that could make anyone rich and powerful, or stay away from his family," I explained to him. Valeria gave me a warm smile.

"I'm sure we can figure something out, I mean, he wouldn't kick you out because of this. I'll go talk to him," Valeria said as she got up.

"That won't work," I called out while I looked down at my feet, "He wants you to leave as well, because you're with me, he doesn't want you around the family as well," I said feeling extremely guilty.

"What do you mean?" Valeria asked, "I don't understand," she looked extremely hurt by what I said.

"I never should have taken you in. You will only find disappointment in your life from now on. Go ahead, call off our friendship, go back to where you came from," I mumbled as I closed my eyes. I heard Valeria start to sob and she rushed out of my room and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

I stayed like that for a while, wondering if the choice I made was right, but then I thought to myself that I should never have let anyone into my life in the first place. It only got me into more trouble and betrayal. I felt horrible for putting Valeria through that though and I would understand if she would never want to have anything to do with me ever again. I suddenly heard knocking on the door and I hesitantly got up and answered it. It was Ezio of course.

"My father asked for me to take you to the guest house," he said without any emotion. I sighed and grabbed my satchel.

The walk to the guest house was long even though it wasn't that far away and maybe because it was really awkward between Ezio and me at the moment. He wouldn't look at me and I didn't feel like talking to him at the moment. We finally got to the house and I got the keys from my satchel and opened the door. The place was definitely smaller than the _palazzo_ but I didn't mind as I thought it looked a lot roomier. I went to enter but felt a hand grasp my wrist.

"I don't want you to go," I heard Ezio say. I turned to look at him and he started to caress my cheek with the other hand.

"Do you really have to listen to him?" I asked him as I leaned into his hand. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, "I'm sorry I yelled at you," I whispered.

"I'll come visit you as often as I can," he said looking into my eyes.

"I don't want you to get into trouble," I replied.

"He won't know," Ezio said as he rested his forehead against mine. We stayed there for a few minutes before I pushed him away.

"You should probably go now," I said. He nodded and gave me a quick passionate kiss before walking away. I closed the door and looked around the house. It was average which suited me fine. A small table set, a kitchen off to the right, and a set of stairs that led up to three bedrooms.

I looked through each room before deciding which one was the better room. I finally chose the lone room on the right side which had a study desk and a small bed. There was a window above the desk and one above the bed. The bed faced the door and was on the left side of the room and the desk was opposite the bed. There was a plant pot on a small table top and a bedside table next to the bed.

I placed my satchel down on the bedside table and sat down on the bed. At least they keep this place clean because it would really suck if they didn't. I have no idea why I was thinking that after what had just happened, I guess it was just a defense mechanism, something bad happens you just think of something else.

'_What the hell am I still doing here?_' I thought as I stared down at my feet. I figured then that I would wait for Valeria to see what she would have to say. For now I guess I should find out why these people are after this journal. Why do they want these artifacts? That is what I want to know.

I lay down on my side and rested my head on the people as I tried to think of something else. After a while I heard a knock on the door. I got up and walked down the stairs to answer it. When I got there I stopped myself from grabbing the door and contemplated whether I should open it or not.

"Who is it?" I asked and waited for the person to answer.

"It's Valeria, will you let me in, I need to speak with you," Valeria said on the other side of the door. I opened the door a crack and peeked through. It was indeed Valeria and I opened the door fully and saw that she had her things as well.

"I thought you wanted to stay with the Auditore's?" I questioned. She chuckled and shook her head.

"I do, but I want to stay with you more, we're friends are we not?" she smiled and I smiled back, "Are you going to let me in or are you just going to stand there?" she asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Sure come on in," I let her in and shut the door behind her.

"I'm sorry that I rushed away like that. It was just so sudden," Valeria said.

"Yeah, it was a surprise for me too, at least we got our own place though," I said trying to make light of this situation. Valeria laughed lightly and ran up the stairs.

"Damn it did you already get the big room?" I heard her say from upstairs. I chuckled lightly at that.

"The early bird gets the worm," I said. '_I guess that there is an option three. Wait for the storm to blow over and see what happens,_' I thought to myself.

* * *

Valeria didn't seem to mind living away from what she thought was going to be her final home. I had told her everything about the journal and why I was really here. I felt like she was the only one I could trust at the moment.

"So are we going to steal some useful documents from this Francesco guy?" she asked eagerly. We sat at the dining table eating some bread that Valeria bought.

"And how good are you at your stealth skills?" I asked her. She gave me a smug look.

"Do you need to ask?" she responded.

"Good, I'll work out a plan, but I want you to remember that Rena might be there as well and you can't let her catch you," I explained.

"Are you really an archeologist Azura?" Valeria asked. I shook my head.

"I am more like a treasure hunter. Archeologist is more of a polite way of saying it," I said before taking a bit out of my piece of bread.

"I think I like this version of you better than before. You seem more like yourself when you are a person of action rather than the person whom I met days before," she replied.

"Looks can be deceiving," I concluded. We both finished eating and I placed the dishes over in the kitchen. "You should probably rest up because we are going to do a little recon later on," I said as I walked up the stair to my room.

"Ok then just let me know when we are ready to head out," Valeria said as she went into her room. I closed my door and went to my bed. Hopefully everything will go as planned and I can find out what kind of artifact these people are looking for and why. I rested my head on the pillow to get some rest before tonight. However, my mind kept wandering back to Ezio, wondering if he was going to be ok.

* * *

**Thank you guys for reading my story. Here is another chapter for you guys and I hope to hear on what you guys think about this.**

**Don't forget to leave a review and as always, happy reading.**

**-Midnight**


	5. Colour My Life

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**LucDeep**

**Mayelo-Prinsesa**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

**Also, if I am mucking up some of the translations in Italian, please let me know I don't want to keep looking like an idiot if I am.**

* * *

**Colour My Life**

By the time we had rested up it was dusk. Valeria was ready to go and I got my satchel and made sure that everything was there. We made sure that we locked the house and headed for the market area.

"So remind me again why are we going to the market area?" Valeria asked as we walked.

"Hopefully we will find someone who will lead us to where the Pazzi's live and see if we can find any useful information," I explained. Valeria nodded and after a few minutes we arrived at the market area. "Maybe if we can find that person you ran into this morning," I thought out loud.

"I see what you mean, because he has the same name, you think he will tell us where he lives? Are you insane?" Valeria practically squealed.

"I mean that we are going to follow and be lead right to the house without anyone knowing," I said.

"Right, that's what I thought, I knew that," Valeria said and I scanned the crowd as we pretended to shop around. Valeria nudge me with her elbow and nodded her head to the far right of us. "Isn't that him there?" she asked. I quickly glanced over and saw Vieri.

"That's him," I whispered.

"What do we do now? He knows who we are and if he spots us we're dead," Valeria said.

"We won't die so stop being dramatic. Just blend in and try not to act too conspicuous. Follow him wherever he goes but try not to draw any attention to you," I said as we moved off to an opposite stall.

"Easier said than done," Valeria mumbled as she tried to act natural and not draw any attention to herself. Vieri was talking with a group of men his age and they weren't really moving anywhere but they hadn't spotted us either. "This is ridiculous," Valeria mumbled.

"Hang on there I think he is walking away," sure enough he started to move away from the group and walked off down another street. "Come one then lets follow," I said and we both started to follow. "Well follow on the rooftops," I said and started to climb up and Valeria followed after.

We followed silently and swiftly and made sure that we weren't spotted or that we didn't lose sight of Vieri. We went over alley ways and jumped from building to building as we were following him. After a while he approached the front of a house and Valeria and I hid in a roof top garden. He went to open the door but someone opened it for him and I looked to see who it was. It was Rena.

"Who is that?" Valeria asked.

"That's Rena. Keep your voice down," I whispered. I listened in on what they were both saying.

"Well your back early," Rena said to Vieri, "Where were you this whole time?" she asked him.

"I don't need you to be my babysitter," he rudely said to her acting a little offended. Rena smugly giggled and smirked.

"I was just worried about you," she said in a cutesy voice. He pushed past her and entered the house and Rena looked around and then closed the door. I motioned for Valeria to follow and I made my way over the buildings and around the side of the house where I followed the candlelight the Rena was holding. They finally stopped in a room upstairs and Valeria and I waited on top of the house outside.

"So what are we going to do about clearing my father's name?" Vieri asked Rena. What was this about his father?

"I told you that I have someone organizing that. You just need to stay focused on the Order," Rena said.

"And who made you in charge of me?" Vieri asked sternly.

"The Grandmaster trusts me because I hold information that will help out your Order," Rena slyly explained.

"And what kind of information?" Vieri asked.

"Nothing you need to know for now, what I can tell you though, as that you will be among one of the most powerful people," she said a little too seductively. Vieri sighed and it went silent for some time.

"So who is going to take care of this problem?" Vieri asked.

"Someone by the name of Uberto Alberti, the Grandmaster has asked him to help us, with a little leverage of course," Rena explained.

"Indeed," Vieri said.

"So, I have waited all day for you, it is time you need to give me a little attention. I am going to please you like no other woman," Rena seductively said.

"I am going to make eat those words," Vieri said back. I had enough then and I wasn't going to get mush information from them. I motioned for Valeria to follow me and we silently made our way across the roof without making much of a noise.

"Hopefully we can find a study of some sort," I whispered to Valeria.

"And fast, I don't want to be near any of, that," Valeria whispered back and I chuckled lightly. I jumped over onto another roof and scanned the windows that were opposite. I suspected that one of them was a study and picked the one that looked to have a desk in it. I guided Valeria to where the window was and she looked down and nodded.

She swiftly opened the window and unlocked it and motioned for me to head back over which I did. I climbed through the window and joined Valeria in the room, which, thankfully, was a study.

"Search through the papers quietly," I quickly said and we swiftly got to work. I looked through most of the papers and they all seemed to be letters or stuff from the banks. I tried to open a draw but found it was stuck. I picked the lock and heard it click open. I looked through the contents of the drawers but I found nothing. "Anything yet?" I asked Valeria but she shook her head.

"I swear I heard something up here," I heard a woman say and it sounded awfully like Rena. I quickly glanced at Valeria and motioned for her to get out. She made her way for the window and looked back at me. I stepped over there but heard the voices get closer.

"You may have just heard something, your ears may be defective, let's get back to bed," I heard Vieri say as his voice was muffled by the door.

"Don't tell me my hearing is inadequate," I pushed Valeria towards the window and she quickly jumped out and reached for the ledge of the other building. I had my leg over the window sill when the door abruptly opened and Rena was standing in the doorway. "You?" she said a little surprised. I smirked and jumped out of the window and grabbed the edge of the other building.

"Get moving," I said to Valeria, "Don't wait for me," she nodded and took off over the rooftops and back to the guest house.

"Don't you dare get away from me," Rena said. I climbed effortlessly onto the rooftop and looked back at a raging Rena.

"If I recall, you left me, so I guess we're even," I called back. She got really angry and grabbed a knife from somewhere and threw it at me in which she missed by an inch. "You missed," I called back and took of over the rooftops and away from that place.

* * *

After a half hour or so of running I finally made it back to a safer part of the city. It was busier and the markets were even on too, not that they are never on at night, but it is nice to look at. I headed back to the guest house which wasn't too far from where I was now.

I started to walk down a street which didn't have as many people walking down it. I was halfway down the street when I was roughly pulled into an alleyway and pinned against the wall. I was about to beat the crap out of the person who had me pinned against the wall but I stopped myself when I saw who it was. Those piercing eyes and strong arms could only belong to Ezio.

"Hello to you too," I said as I chuckled a little. He then crashed his lips down on mine and brought me into a passionate kiss. He placed his right forearm above my head and his left hand rested on my hip. He acted really pleased to meet me. Once he broke the kiss he looked into my eyes with his hazy once.

"Azura," he breathed out and I knew I could smell wine on his breath.

"You act like you haven't seen me in years," I giggled. His breath hit my face as he leaned in and rested his forehead against mine.

"It feels that way," he sounded drunk.

"Have you been drinking?" I asked him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then licked my lips and then across my right cheek, "That would be a yes," I slowly said as I tried to get him off of me. He wouldn't budge and just smirked at me.

"If I were drunk you would already be out of my grasp," he said and he grabbed my hips with both of his hands and started to kiss me again. I broke away to get some air and he continued to kiss my neck.

"You have been drinking though. I don't want you to do something you'll regret and I really need to get home," I said seriously and he stopped kissing my neck and looked up at me.

"You don't' have to go," he smirked and went in for another kiss but I placed a finger on his lips to stop him. I looked at him seriously and he stopped smirking.

"I'm sorry for leaving, I never wanted to upset anyone, but you need to understand that I had no choice," I said and he listened to me intently. "I want to see you again, but not like this, I want it to be more decent than this. You are better than this," I finally whispered and he rested his forehead against mine.

"_Mi dispiace_. _Io non voglio perderti _(I just don't want to lose you)," he whispered in my ear and stroked my arms.

"You won't," I assured him and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "Now go home because you reek of wine," I told him and pushed him off of me. He chuckled a little and I smiled and shook my head and started to walk off.

"Wait!" he said as he grabbed my hand. I turned towards him and he looked back at me.

"Let me visit you in the morning tomorrow," he said eagerly.

"Really? I think you will be a little too hung over," I said.

"I am going to visit you, no excuses, _amore mio_," he said as he still grasped my hand.

'_There is just no reasoning with him_,' I thought. I let out a sigh and smiled, "Fine, you can visit me, just let me go," I laughed. He then let go of my hand.

"You better be ready," he called out after me.

"Whatever," I called back and turned around and headed to the guest house. When I finally got back I made sure that I was not being followed and opened the door. Valeria was already there sitting at the table and jumped up when she saw me.

* * *

"Where were you? Did you get out Ok?" she asked me.

"I got out of there fine, I just ran into Ezio when I was heading back, it was no big deal," I said to her. She looked at me questioningly when I said that I ran into Ezio.

"You saw Ezio, was Federico there, by any chance?" she asked eagerly which made me feel guilty again.

"No," I said shaking my head. She looked sad for a moment but brushed it off and got back to her chipper self again.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight Azura," Valeria said and she started walking up the stairs.

"Night," I replied and she softly shut the door to her room. I sat down at the table and stared at the candle that Valeria had lit. I watched as the flames danced slowly and softly but would occasionally flicker wildly at times. Watching the flames made me think about someone that was very important to me.

"_This is scary Aeron," I said as Aeron stood on a rooftop opposite me. He held out his arms and waited for me to jump._

"_Come Lyra, you said you wanted to learn, besides, I am right here to catch you, so don't be afraid," Aeron encouraged. I looked at the gap between the rooftops and it seemed really large to me and I backed away in fright. "I am right here Lyra," Aeron said as he waited for me to jump._

_I looked back at the space and then towards Aeron's arms. I took another step back and ran to the edge for the rooftop and jumped into Aeron's arms. He caught me and made sure that I didn't trip over or fall backwards._

"_I've got you Lyra," he whispered. I looked up from where I buried my head in his chest and noticed that I had indeed made the gap without falling. "See what I told you?" he chuckled as he looked down at me. "You needn't doubt me Lyra," Aeron said. I looked back up at him and smiled. His eyes softened as he stared at me. "I love you," he said as he smiled._

"_I love you too Aeron," I replied and buried my head in his chest again and listened to his heartbeat._

I would probably be dead without him. He taught me everything I know about surviving on my own. I can't believe he is gone. I didn't really feel like thinking about these sorts of thing thought because I didn't want to live in the past.

I got out of the chair and made sure that the door was locked before blowing out the candle and heading up stairs into my room. I placed my satchel on the bedside table, took off my boots, and got myself comfortable in bed. As I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep I wondered what tomorrow was going to be like.

When I awoke the next day the sun had barely rose meaning that it was only dawn. I stretched myself out and rolled onto my right side. I only noticed this now, but when I looked up, I saw a painting on the wall. It was just a painting of a small house against the background of a country side but I felt at peace when I looked at it.

The colours of the house made me feel like I was at home and the beauty of the countryside made me want to jump in the painting and live inside it. I laid there and stared at the painting for what seemed like an eternity.

I suddenly heard something hit my window above my bed and I jumped out of the bed. I then saw a rock tap against the window and I went over to the window and opened it. Looking out onto the street below I noticed Ezio standing there waving up at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head and he started to climb up to my window. I stood back, let him in, and he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"We have a front door you know," I whispered.

"I didn't want to wake Valeria though," he whispered. He looked a little tried. He noticed the bed and picked me up and placed me on it and he climbed on to the bed after me. He placed his left arm over my waist and rested his head on the other arm.

We just looked into each other's eyes, not really saying anything, but we tried to figure each other out through our eyes. Ezio soon started to close his eyes and steady his breathing which made me smile a little.

"You're tired aren't you?" I asked him.

"No," he mumbled and it made me chuckle a little.

"Get some sleep," I ordered. I tried to keep his eyes open for some time but they finally started to close again and he drifted off to sleep. I watched as he slept, which looked peaceful to me as he breathed steadily, his breath falling on my face.

* * *

After a while I heard the door across the hall open and I decided that I should get up. I got out of the bed carefully and tried not to wake Ezio up. I silently opened my door and then closed it behind me and headed down the stairs and saw Valeria there.

"Morning," she said as she grabbed an apple from the kitchen and tossed me another one.

"Morning," I replied and took a bite out of my apple.

"That was close last night," she said. I took another bite out of my apple and chewed on it for a while before swallowing.

"It wasn't too bad, you did alright too, but we didn't learn a lot about anything," I said and placed the apple back on the kitchen counter.

"So now what?" Valeria asked after she swallowed a piece of her apple.

"We'll see what happens. I'll figure it out though so don't worry," I said as I sat down at the table. Valeria went to join me but there was a knock at the door. I stared at the door watchfully as did Valeria.

"I'll answer it," she said and went to unlock the door. She peeked through the door and immediately threw it back and hugged the visitor. "Federico? I missed you so much," Valeria said as she hugged Federico and he hugged back. I relaxed back in my chair and let out a sigh of relief.

"I missed you too Valeria," Federico said as he hugged back, "If it is not too much trouble, how about I take you out for a walk, and I'll buy you anything you want," Valeria jumped up and down and started giggle with a huge smile on her face. She turned to me and I saw how her eyes glowed with happiness.

"Can I go Azura?" she asked me as she clasped her hands together and begged. I chuckled a little, shook my head, and waved my hand towards her.

"You don't need to ask me," I said. She suddenly started to hug me.

"Thank you Azura," she said.

"You really need to stop hugging me," I said as she stepped back quickly. She then joined Federico and linked arms with him.

"I promise to bring her back safely," Federico said. I just shooed them off and they both headed down the street happily. I watched them leave and then shut the door and locked it. I decided that I should head back upstairs before Ezio wakes up.

When I got into my room he was still asleep so I shut the door quietly and snuck back to the bed. As I started to climb back into the bed he started to stir awake and open his eyes. When he saw me climbing back into the bed he had a confused expression on his face.

"Did you go somewhere?" he asked me.

"Yeah, you fell asleep and I hear Valeria wake up, so I got out of bed and went downstairs," I said as I lay back down next to him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.

"Where is she now?" he asked.

"She is with Federico. They went for a walk together," I said. He started to stroke my hair and then kissed my forehead.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked. I shook my head.

"You look too tired anyway," I said. He looked at me a little offended but was much too tired to fully show it.

"_Ehi_, I am not tired," he mumbled which made me chuckle a little.

"I'd rather much stay inside today. I am tired of being outside for the moment truth be told," I said and rested my hands on his chest. He looked into my eyes for a while and kept on stroking my hair. He then leaned in and placed his lips on mine.

The kiss wasn't as passionate as last night but it still held something loving in it. He wrapped his fingers through my hair and pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. After a while he pulled away so we could both catch our breaths. He continued to stroke my hair and stared into my eyes as his breath fell upon my face. And we just lay in each other's arms like that till the sun fully rose.

* * *

I sat on the bed reading a book while my back was leaning against Ezio's chest. He had his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder as he watched while I read. I flicked through some pages and read only the interesting parts while Ezio let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I kept my eyes on the pages of the book.

"Nothing you just keep reading," He said and fell silent again.

"This is boring for you isn't it?" I asked again turning to him this time and he let out another sigh.

"Isn't there anything else you enjoy besides reading?" he asked me. I thought about it for a long while before responding.

"I like to use a blacksmith's forge once in a while," I replied.

"You used to work in a blacksmith's?" he asked as he looked at me strangely.

"Yes, a long time ago, but I don't anymore," I responded.

"Why not?" he asked, seemingly really interested.

"I just found better things to do with my life," I replied. He looked at me with a questioning gaze for a moment but it softened shortly after.

"Who taught you how to use a blacksmith's forge then?" He asked. I looked away from him then and reluctantly replied.

"I don't want to talk about it. Sorry," He then took one of my hands and squeezed it lightly.

"It's ok you don't have to," he said and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. "Is there anything else that you enjoy?" he asked me. Something then popped into my head then and I realized there was something I had forgotten.

"I do like to draw," I said as I crawled out of his arms and reached for my satchel. I dug through it and pulled out my sketch book. "I had this thing for around three years now. I forgot that it was in here," I said as I flicked through some of the pages. They were mainly random things like flowers or animals.

"These are beautiful," he mumbled as he took the book from my hand and started to look through them. I glanced up at him to see the expression on his face. They were mixed with wonder and happiness at the same time.

"Do you really like them?" I asked. He nodded as he stared at the drawings.

"I really like this one," he said as he pointed to one drawing of a lavender plant.

"Probably the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?" I said happily knowing that I could share my drawings with someone.

"No," he simply said as he continued to look through the drawings.

"What do you mean?" I asked offended. He put the sketch book down and smirked at me.

"You're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he said and he started to caress my cheek. I scoffed and pushed his hand away.

"You probably say that to everyone," I said. He looked at me seriously then and wrapped his arms around me.

"Sometimes people just need to hear it," he then held me close to his chest and rested his chin on my forehead.

* * *

Ezio stayed with me for the whole day. I tried to convince him to get back home but he just said that he didn't want to waste a moment without me. He watched as I drew some sketches and always complimented on my work even if I made a mistake. Though, by the end of the day, he knew that he had to go home.

"I'll come see you tomorrow," he said as he held my hands.

"What if you get in trouble," I said.

"I won't. Don't worry about it." He said as he leaned in and kissed me. Once we broke away he said goodbye and left through the front door. I closed the door then locked it and headed up to my room. Valeria had already returned half way through the day and was in her room reading over some of my books.

I closed the door to my room behind me and walked over to my sketch book and placed it in my satchel. Once I placed the satchel on the bed side table I hoped in the bed and wrapped the covers around me.

'_What the hell am I going to do? I'll have to leave eventually, it'll break his heart and I'll never forgive myself. I should never have gotten myself into this mess_,' I thought to myself.

'_It hasn't been too bad though, and he is young I guess, he will learn to get over me,_' I tried to convince myself but somehow I didn't think that was going to happen. I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. I was going to have to figure this out soon.

* * *

**Well here you go another chapter. Sorry it took a little longer than expected but I didn't enjoy writing this one as much and I was never at my laptop. **

**So i guess Ezio becomes an Assassin soon, not really sure, but I will do my best to keep updating. As always happy reading.**

**-Midnight **


	6. Stay With Me

**Please Review! It helps me out a lot and it gives me an idea on how you guys feel about the story.**

* * *

**Stay With Me**

I woke up the next day feeling crabby. I didn't get much sleep last night and when I did I had a horrible dream. I got out of bed and brushed my hair and washed my face. I went downstairs and ate some food that Valeria bought yesterday. As I nibbled on the food to keep me busy I hear Valeria open her door and walk down the stairs.

"Morning," she said happily. I lightly smile and continued to eat my food.

"You seem very happy," I said after finishing off my food.

"I had the most wonderful time yesterday," she happily said.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded her head gleefully before continuing.

"Federico took me on the most wonderful walk yesterday. It was very lovely," she said as she placed her hands and a chair and looked down at the ground in delight.

"Thought you said you didn't have any feelings for him?" I went on to ask remembering the time she became all flustered when I asked about it. She looked up and me and blushed really hard.

"Well maybe I was wrong," I just chuckled and she glared at me, "What about you, you said you didn't have any time for love, yet you are still with Ezio," I calmed myself down from laughing and stared at the table top for a while. "What's wrong?" Valeria asked.

"Nothing," I said and turned my attention away from her.

"Come on, you can tell me anything, I am your best friend," I turned to look at her then and saw the concern in her eyes. I shook my head and looked away again.

"No, I don't really want to talk about it, besides you seem too happy today and I don't want to bring your mood down," I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked me again. I nodded my head and she ceased with the questions. "What are we going to do today?" she asked me. I turned to look at her and she had determination in her eyes which caused me to smile a little.

"We don't do any more work on this matter. If these people want the journal, then they will have to find us, we will have our answers then," I explained. Valeria looked a little concerned for a bit but looked away hoping that I won't notice.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She hesitantly glanced up at me before speaking.

"Some very powerful people want this journal," she stated.

"I know," I replied.

"It is very dangerous to hang on to this journal," she continued. I narrowed my eyes at her but nodded my head.

"I know," I said lowly.

"Then why don't you give up this journal? What do you have to prove? Just give the journal to Giovanni, I'm sure he has someone whom he will entrust the journal with, just let this go," I got up and slammed my hands on the table.

"I don't want anyone getting their hands on this journal. Don't you understand? There is something far greater than anything you can imagine out there that these people want and if I don't keep it away from them then what's the point?!" I yelled causing Valeria to take a step back out of fear.

"I didn't leave my life of fear just to find another one," she simply said as she looked away from me.

"Then tell me why you decided to come with me?" I said as I started to lose it, "If you don't want to be here anymore, just leave, I don't need you anyway!" I yelled at her as she continued to stare at the ground. She looked at me then with a sense of aggravation.

"Fine, I'll just go, you don't have to see me again," I watched as she went upstairs and came back down with her satchel. She made her way towards the door and opened it but not before looking back at me. "How can you be this way?" she asked. I didn't give her an answer and she closed the door behind her as she left the house.

I simply sighed and looked down at the table. I felt mainly guilt and thought that I probably shouldn't have yelled at her like that. She is going to have to learn though either sooner or later. I felt terrible though and contemplated on whether I should run after her or not.

'_Ah shit,_' I thought as I went upstairs and grabbed my satchel before heading out the door and looking it behind me. All I could think was that I hope she doesn't get into any trouble.

* * *

I spent about an hour trying to find Valeria and already I was getting nowhere. I had basically searched nearly every district in _Firenze_ and I was having no luck finding her.

'_Damn, she certainly is good at hiding_,' I thought to myself as I left to go check on other districts that I may have missed and to double check others. '_She may have run to Federico or something. She isn't the lonely type_,' but as I thought that I also realized that I didn't really know this girl well. She just happens to be someone who just tagged along. She didn't want pity over her horrible life, all she really needed was for someone to give her something to do, and I guess she saw that in me.

I started to walk back to a busiest district feeling guilty. I never wanted to upset her, all I wanted was for her to understand, and I guess I just pushed it a little too far.

"Azura?" I heard someone ask. I looked up and saw Ezio. I don't know what it was but when I saw him I felt relief. I waved at him and he walked over to me. "What are you doing out here alone?" he asked me.

"I was just looking for Valeria. Do you know where she might be?" I asked hoping that he might be able to help me.

"No, sorry, she might be with Federico though," he said.

"Ok, I hope she is with him, I don't want her to run off into any trouble," I said and Ezio gave me a smirk. "What?" I asked and his smirk only widened as he pulled me into an embrace.

"You would make a good mother you know," he whispered seductively in my ear which caused me to blush a little and push him off of me.

"I'm being serious here Ezio," I said firmly when he started laughing. He calmed himself down and turned to me seriously.

"So why are you looking for her?" he asked me as we started to walk down the street together.

"I may have upset her and I just wanted to apologize," I said nervously as I looked to the ground.

"How did you upset her?" he asked me. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to tell him this but just by looking at him I felt somewhat comfortable and told him anyway.

"She didn't to help me work on this current project that I am doing right now. I told her to leave," I said with a wash of guilt. I was too afraid to even look at Ezio because I thought he would think of me as some kind of monster and leave me then and there.

"I'm sure you didn't mean those things," he said and I looked up at him to see a warm smile on his face and it made me feel a whole lot better.

"That's why I'm trying to look for her so that I can say sorry," I said.

"_No preoccuparvi_, we'll find her," he said with a reassurance.

"Thank you Ezio," I said as I smiled back.

"_Nessun problema_," he said as he took my arm in his, "Besides… I like to help out beautiful damsels," he whispered which caused me to blush.

"Just help me," I snapped which caused him to chuckle and I pushed him off of me so that I had room to walk.

* * *

Together we searched for another hour or so and we still couldn't find her. I felt like giving up and going back to the house. I really didn't want to chase after her if she didn't want to see me again. Ezio led me over to a bench and we both sat down and I sat my satchel on my lap. I looked down at the ground and felt really worried for some reason.

"She must be really good at hiding if _we_ can't even find her," Ezio said as he looked at me. I nodded and continued to look at the ground. "How long have you been searching for before me?" he asked. I thought about it for a moment before replying.

"Probably about an hour," I said to him and he looked at me shocked.

"You must be exhausted!" he somewhat yelled but I just shook my head.

"Not really," I said. He looked a little concerned at that before standing up and grabbing my hand pulling me up with him. "What are you doing?" I asked as he led me down the street.

"I'm taking you back home," he stated. I quickly regained myself and matched his stride.

"But, I have to look for Valeria, I need to know she is safe," I retorted and tried to free my hand from his grasp.

"I am more concerned about you, I don't want you to feel exhausted, Valeria is probably with Federico anyway so you don't have anything to worry about," he said as he continued leading me back to the house. I just gave up and he soon let go of my hand and we both walked back to the house.

Once we got back to the house I opened the door and we both walked inside. I then locked the door behind me and Ezio gave me a confused look.

"What is it this time?" I asked.

"Why do you have to lock the door?" he asked me and I wasn't quite sure what he meant until I realized that I had indeed locked the door. I wasn't quite sure why I kept doing that, probably to make sure that I was safe, to keep others out or just to shut myself in I guess.

"For security," I simply replied and he didn't really say another word on the matter. "Sorry, did you have to go somewhere?" I asked. He pulled me in and wrapped his arms around me.

"I won't go anywhere," he said and he placed his chin on top of my head and we just stood there for a while. I still felt anxious though as if something really bad was going to happen.

"I still feel anxious," I said. Ezio looked down into my eyes and stared for some time.

"She'll be fine, why don't you draw something, I'm sure that will make you feel better," he said. I nodded and we both went up to my room.

* * *

We were both on the bed and I sat between Ezio's legs and leaned my back against his chest and he had his arms wrapped around my waist. I decided to draw a wolf looking out at the moon and as I sketched the lines Ezio watched with amazement.

"You're really good at this," he said.

"Thanks," I replied as I continued to draw. Drawing calmed me down a little but I still felt a little anxious. "I should probably keep looking," I stopped drawing and placed the book aside. I went to get up but Ezio pulled me down again.

"She'll turn up," he said as he trapped me with his arms.

"But what if she thinks I have abandoned her because I couldn't find her," I said as I tried to release myself from his hold. His strong arms wrapped around tightly and he was refusing to let me go.

"She won't think that," he mumbled. He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the neck which sent a tingled down my spine.

"I'm really worried," I finally said. He rested his chin on my shoulder and sighed.

"I'll look then, you can stay behind, you need rest," he said and started to remove his arms from my waist.

"I don't need rest," I snapped and pushed myself away from him and got up from the bed. He followed me off of the bed and reached out for me again. I stepped out of his grasp and looked down at the floorboards in frustration.

"Why are you so frustrated?" he asked me. I ignored him and continued to look down at the floorboards. Suddenly I heard a knock on the out on the front door so I raced out of the room and down the stairs. I went to reach for the handle but hesitated a little.

"Who is it?" I asked and hoped that it would be Valeria.

"It's Federico, please open up, Valeria needs to get inside," as soon as I heard him say Valeria's name I quickly unlocked the door and opened it up.

"What's going on?" I heard Ezio behind me. Federico led Valeria in and she looked to be in total shock. Federico led her by the arm but when she saw me she immediately jumped to me and embraced me. Feeling relieved that she was safe now I returned it and tried to calm her down a little.

"I found her being harassed by Vieri," Federico said. I looked down at Valeria's sobbing form.

"You aren't hurt are you?" I asked her and she shook her head and continued to cry. '_Then why the hell are you crying?_' I thought to myself.

"He tried to force himself on her," Federico said, sounding a bit angry, and I growled a little as Valeria continued to cry into my shirt.

"I'm sorry Azura, I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I meant nothing of what I said can you please forgive me?" Valeria sobbed when she finally looked up at me.

"I'm supposed to be the one apologizing, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, I am just glad that you are alright," I replied. She wiped away her tears and finally stopped crying and hugged me again. I happened to look over at Ezio and he seemed very angry.

"Federico, can I speak with you outside?" he asked. The two brothers went out the door and closed it behind them.

"Do you think bad people will come after us now because of me?" Valeria asked. I shook my head.

"No, they won't, I'll make sure of it," I said. I stared at the door and wondered what the two boys were talking about. "Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest?" I said and she nodded and walked up stairs and went to her room. I then went to the door and opened it to see the two brothers in a bit of an argument.

"He had probably done this to get back at you," Ezio said and Federico just shook his head and looked off to the side.

"What are you talking about?" I asked and the two only just noticed me standing there.

"Where is Valeria now?" Federico asked turning his attention to me.

"She is upstairs in her room," I replied and he made his way past me and into the house. I then closed the door behind me and turned my attention to Ezio. "What was going on?" I asked again nearly glaring at Ezio.

"The Pazzi have been slandering our family's name for a while now and because you two are with us then Vieri thought that Valeria was an easy target to get back at us," he said angrily.

"But she is safe now so there is no need to worry about this any longer. She won't go out alone again problem solved," I replied and went to open the door but Ezio grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him.

"You are the one I am concerned about. I don't want you to get hurt," he said grabbing me by the shoulders.

"I can take care of myself," I snapped. Ezio closed his eyes and hung his head. He let out a sigh and looked back up at me again.

"I'm just worried about you," he said. I gave him a soft look before replying.

"Look, I know you are worried, but I have been able to survive this long by myself. You have nothing to worry about," I said. He looked into my eyes for a moment and then nodded.

"I can't let him get away with this though," he finally said.

"Don't go looking for trouble," I responded but he just gave me a smirk.

"When am I ever in trouble?" I rolled my eyes and his smirk only widened. "I'll come and see you tonight," he said and then gave me a quick kiss before walking off.

"So you're not going to listen?" he ignored me and kept on walking. I just shook my head and headed back inside. When I started to walk up the stair I heard Valeria giggling and chatting with Federico and it made me smile a little.

* * *

Once I had entered my room I decided to finish drawing the sketch of the wolf. As I was beginning to finish the touch ups to my sketch I heard the door to Valeria's room open and both Federico and Valeria's voices. I didn't feel so guilty now that Valeria was safe and that she forgave me. I still somewhat felt anxious but I let that slide.

"Hey Azura," Valeria said as she poked her head through the door.

"Hey," I replied.

"Where is Ezio?" she asked me. "Shouldn't he be with you?" she asked me.

"He is probably getting himself into trouble right now," I responded. I stood up and walked to the doorway and saw Federico standing in the hall.

"Probably starting a fight with Vieri I should probably go and help him," he said and turned to Valeria. "I'll see you some other time," he said and then headed down the stairs and opened the door.

"You better be careful," Valeria called out before Federico shut the door behind him. I rolled my eyes at the cheesiness of this.

After a few minutes Valeria and I both went to our own rooms. She read through another book and I went on to sketch something else. This time it was of a dragon flying through the skies. I wasn't sure why I decided to draw this, I may have just liked dragons, but I couldn't quite remember why. When I was finished the sun had fully set and people were lighting the candles in their houses and the lanterns on the street.

I opened the windows so I could get some more air in the room. I looked out of the window that was located over my bed and took in the view. There were people all around either heading home or couples going for a walk. I then went back to my satchel, pulled out a book, then sat back down on the bed and started to read. Once I got a little bit through the book I then heard someone climb into the room and new right away who it was.

"You still don't know how to sneak into a girl's room do you Ezio?" I playfully asked him without turning to look at him.

"I don't know this Ezio," I heard him say as he tried to sneak up behind me and then wrapped his arms around me.

"Oh, well then you should hurry, he may get jealous if he sees me with another man," I joked and he started to kiss down my neck.

"Don't worry _bella_, I'll be done before he even notices, just relax," I turned to him and pulled him in for a kiss. Something was different about the way his lips felt against mine and I pulled away to inspect him. I noticed then that he had a scar running down the right side of the corner of his lips.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"I got into a fight, it's no big deal," he said as he went down to kiss me again.

'_Men_,' I thought to myself and just gave up returned the kiss. I pulled away to catch my breath but he continued down my neck and slightly pulled at my shirt to expose my shoulder.

"Did you miss me while I was gone?" he spoke as his lips lingered on my skin.

"Yes Ezio, I count the hours waiting for you to come back to me," I said sarcastically and I felt him smirk into my neck.

"You love me," he said and went for my lips again. He kissed me so passionately and the sensation that his scar had left on my lips made it all the more special.

He then gently pushed me down on the bed and leaned over me. I felt his right hand move to my hip and up my shirt to caress my waist. I felt a little nervous because he never made this kind of move on me before and I gingerly moved his hand away. He looked confused for a moment but then understood.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I'll be more careful," he said.

"You're always careful with me, you just frightened me a little, that's all," I assured him and he smiled down at me. He started to kiss my neck again and then down my shoulder. '_It might not be that bad_,' I thought to myself.

I placed his right hand back on my waist again and then placed my hand on his back. He gave me a confused look then when I did this.

"Are you sure?" he asked me and I nodded. He nuzzled my cheek and smiled as he moved his hand back up to my waist and started to caress my smooth skin. "To think, you act tough, but you feel soft," he said and I gave him an icy glare. He chuckled and lay down next to my but continued to rub small circles on my waist.

We lay there together for a while and we just stared into each other's eyes. The candle light in the room made his eyes seem to glow. It made me feel relaxed when I looked into those golden eyes. I smiled a little and he smiled back.

"You're beautiful," he mumbled.

"You're reckless," I replied and he only chuckled.

"_Ti amo_," he mumbled.

"I love you too," I replied. After a few hours we both fell asleep.

* * *

I wouldn't say I slept soundly that night, I guess it was because of the strange dream that I had, and it left me feeling anxious and crabby in the morning. I tried not to think about it but it kept crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

I was back at home, the house above the blacksmith shop. I don't know how I had gotten here but I was glad I was back; it was as if everything was ok, that nothing bad had happened. I jumped out of the cozy bed and practically ran out of the room and to the kitchen. I saw Aeron there and he was sitting at the table.

"Aeron!" I shouted and went to give him a hug. I stopped in my tracks when he gave me a serious look, one of the most serious I had seen him give me, and that scared me. "Aeron?" I asked.

"What are you doing here Lyra?" he asked me. His booming voice made me shrink in fear a little. I had forgotten how scary he could be sometimes.

"We live together remember?" I timidly said.

"Give up Lyra, this is foolish," he said as he stood from his chair and glared at me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. He started to walk towards me, "Aeron you're scaring me," I said but he continued to ignore me. He got close enough to me that I thought he was going to crash into me so I braced myself. Instead he disappeared just as I could almost touch him.

"Give up," I heard him whisper, though it seemed like it resonated al through the house. I looked around frantically trying to find him.

"Aeron, where did you go?" I asked. No reply came. All of a sudden I felt as if I was falling through the floorboards of the house. I closed my eyes and braced for impact. I felt nothing and I opened my eyes to find myself in a light place. "Aeron?" I called out again only this time I heard a voice, but it did not belong to Aeron.

"He's not coming back," I heard a voice say. It sounded like a women's voice, a little heavenly, but somewhat cruel.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"You won't see him again," the voice spoke again.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I didn't get a response and I felt myself falling again.

My eyes shot open and I shot up from the pillow. I started to breath heavily and I held my head in my hands. Ezio woke up due to me panicking and looked at me. He wrapped his arms around me and started to rock my back and forth to calm me down.

"You're OK, you're safe now, I won't let anything hurt you," he said and my breathing soon became steady again. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked me. I nodded and removed my hands from my head. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked but I shook my head.

"I'm fine now," I assured him. He smiled and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. Once Ezio was certain that I was fine he let go of me.

"I have to go now, I need to do some work for my father, but I will be back later on," he said and I nodded.

"Go then," I said. He nodded and got out of the bed and went for the window. "Out the door," I said and he smirked at me.

"This way is much more fun," he said before jumping out the window and climbing down onto the street. I rolled my eyes and got out of the bed to get something to eat.

* * *

The day wasn't really event full and I mainly stayed inside all day. Federico came around at noon to make sure that Valeria was doing OK. She went out for a walk with him and came back and hour or so later and then Federico went home.

"We should go somewhere," Valeria said a little while after the walk.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean we should go and travel. Let's go to _Roma_," she suddenly said.

"Why there?" I asked her.

"I don't know, it seems like fun, like an adventure," she said gleefully.

"Maybe some other time," I said. "I would much rather prefer someplace cooler," I added.

"Like where?" she asked.

"Somewhere in Asia, I'm not sure yet," I replied.

"You're weird," she said laughing a little.

"Maybe," I responded.

After our talk Valeria went back to her room and read some more. I continued to draw random things and by now it was already night time. I was wondering when Ezio might come around again but I thought it was sill to think about that and dismissed the idea.

I still felt really anxious for some reason, like something bad would happen, but I wasn't sure what. All of a sudden I heard frantic knocking at the front door. I walked out of my room and went down the hall. I heard Valeria open the door to her room behind me and I turned back to her.

"Who could that be?" she asked a little nervously.

"Stay in your room and don't come out until I say," she nodded and closed her door. I walked down the stairs and went to the door. The knocking was becoming more frantic but I still hesitated at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Azura, It's me Ezio, please open the door," Ezio said from the other side of the door. He sounded anxious so I unlocked the door and opened it up for him.

The way he stood in front of me left me in shock a little. He wasn't wearing his usual noblemen outfit. Instead he wore white robes that had a hood, some leather armor and a red sash around his waist. He looked rather anxious as he stood before me.

"What's wrong?" I asked. His eyes darted around and he looked jumpy.

"Please, may I come inside?" he asked me.

"Of course," I said as I opened the door wider for him and allowed him inside. Once he was inside I closed the door and then locked it. "Are you ok?" I asked him again. He looked like he was at a loss for words but he finally spoke.

"The city guards came and took my father and brothers to prison," he said a little shakily. My eyes widened a little at that.

"What of your mother and sister?" I asked.

"They're safe, I had one of the maids hid them somewhere, they are being looked after," he said.

"Do you know why this has happened?" I asked again. I was hoping that it had nothing to do with me and the journal.

"I am not entirely sure, but I have given some documents to a friend of my fathers, he said he would present them at the hearing tomorrow," he said. I felt a little relief that it was not I who had made this sort of mess.

"Who did you give the documents too?" I asked him as I was a little curious to know who this friend of Giovanni's was.

"A man named Uberto Alberti," he responded. I stopped and thought for a moment that maybe I had heard this name before. Didn't I over hear Rena say that name? Maybe…

"What's going on?" I suddenly heard Valeria ask and I looked up at the railing on the second floor. "What's happening?" she asked again.

"Everything's alright Valeria, get back to your room," I said sternly and she glared back at me.

"No, I am not a child, there is something off here. Tell me what is going on?" She snapped. Ezio looked towards me and I looked between him and Valeria. I let out a sigh and walked up the stairs.

"Come with me," I said to Valeria. She looked a little hesitant but followed me anyway. I led her to my room and shut the door. "Listen, some things have happened, but when I tell you what is going on I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid," I told her.

"Just tell me what's going on," she demanded.

"Ezio told me that his father and brothers have been taken to prison," I started. It took a bit for the information to sink in and when it did she nearly broke down in tears. "But he said that he went to a friend of Giovanni's and that they would be freed tomorrow," I assured her. She wiped some tears away and nodded her head.

"Everything is going to be OK?" she asked me. I nodded my head and she gave me a slight hug. "I'm going to go to bed now ok. Ezio is probably going to need you more than ever at the moment," I nodded and she got up opened the door to my room and crossed the hallway to hers.

I look out at the hallway and saw Ezio leaning on the wall. He looked tired but when he saw me he stood up straight. He still seemed a little jumpy though.

"You need rest," I said to him and motioned for him to come into my room which he swiftly did. I shut the door and went to my bed and got it ready. He took off his boots and placed I sword I never noticed he had off to the side. I offered him a spot on the bed which he took gratefully. I was about to jump under the covers as well but he pulled me down and did that for me.

"_Grazie_," he mumbled, "for letting me stay here I mean," he added. I reached out a hand and started to caress his face.

"If you say it will be fine then it will be fine. Get some rest," I said. He pulled me closer, wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss. He closed his eyes and after a while I felt his steady breathing on my face.

'_It won't be alright,_' I sadly thought to myself before closing my eyes and trying to get some sleep. '_But what can I do about it. No one would believe me anyway,_' I added. I couldn't really sleep that night but I didn't want to anyway in case Ezio woke up. Instead I just thought about that painting that hung on the wall above my bed.

* * *

So here you go, another chapter. This one took longer than I expected and it is shorted than I would have liked. Oh well, hopefully this next chapter will be longer.

Keep up those review because that always makes me happy no matter what you think.

As always, happy reading

-Midnight


	7. Let's Leave Together

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**LucDeep**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

* * *

**Let's Leave Together**

I stared up at the ceiling, I wasn't really thinking, I was just spacing out. The sun wasn't even up yet but I knew it would appear soon. I then looked to my side and saw that Ezio was still sleeping. He had a look of distress on him and I thought he was having a nightmare but he wasn't tossing or turning so I just let him be for the moment.

I could barely make out the painting that hung on the wall but I still remember every detail of that painting. I could imagine myself living at that small house out on a beautiful countryside, maybe with someone special, but I highly doubt that. As I sat there contemplating, Ezio started to mumble, and soon enough he was tossing and turning.

"Ezio, wake up, you're having a bad dream," I said calmly and started to lightly shake him awake by the shoulder. His eyes opened abruptly and he shot up, placing a hand on his forehead, and panting heavily. "It's ok now," I said and lightly rubbed his back to sooth him.

His breathing became even and he eventually looked at me and gave me a weak smile. He pulled me in an embrace and rested his forehead on mine. I wrapped my arms around him and looked into his eyes.

"I'm glad you're with me," he mumbled. I gave a small smile but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "I will have to leave soon and attend the hearing. I want you to stay at the house and look after Valeria. I promise to come get you once everything's over," he said and I nodded.

I didn't want to tell him that I could handle myself, nor make some smart remark about how I should be looking out for him, so I just complied with his wishes. I didn't want to make him worry even more than he has to right now.

"I want you to stay out of trouble though," I replied and he nodded back. He then started to kiss me and I let him. He probably just wanted to forget. He brought me back down on the bed and wrapped his arms around me and we waited for the sun to come up.

* * *

He left then once the sun had fully risen and I stayed behind to make sure Valeria would be alright and that she wouldn't do anything stupid. I was in the kitchen and started to eat some bread until I heard Valeria walk down the stairs.

"Morning Azura," she lightly mumbled and I said a quick morning back. She grabbed an apple from the bench and started to spin it around in her hands. "Can we go to the hearing?" she asked me. I looked sternly at her and shook my head. She nodded in understanding and then took a bite from her apple.

We stood in silence for quite some time. Valeria was really fidgety and I was anxious because I had no idea how today would play out. I have never really been this anxious before since the first time I discovered what being anxious really meant.

"Tell me everything will be OK," Valeria requested. I looked at her for a moment before responding.

"Everything will be OK," I replied. She then gave me a look that suggested she was unconvinced.

"Now tell me the truth," she requested again. I had a stabbing pain in my chest and I just looked away. I didn't want to answer the question. "Please Azura, tell me, I'm your best friend," she said. I shook my head.

"You already know the answer," I responded.

"Tell me," she demanded this time. I ignored the question and went to grab an apple. As soon as I picked it up she slapped it out of my hands. Tears were streaming from her eyes and she had a look of agony written upon her face. "Tell me!" she screamed, "I want to hear you say it!" she cried.

"It's not going to be OK. That is the honest truth," I answered.

"Then why didn't you tell Ezio? Why didn't you warn him?" she asked me.

"Because it wouldn't have made a difference," I replied.

"It would have made a little difference. If you have the opportunity to change something then why not take it?" she asked. I had no excuse, no reasoning, nothing that I could say. I turned away from her and she just stormed up to her room.

"Someone asked me something just like that," I said to myself. I could barely remember the exact words but I remember the moment. It was when I first met Aeron.

_Sneaking past the guards was no easy task, but living on the streets though, it gave me some life skills that I am proud of. Most of the guards were sleeping anyway so when I got to the jail cells it was much easier than I expected._

_As I passed the cells I saw all the different people: thugs, thieves and murderers. I only needed to get to one cell though and that was right at the back. Once I reached it I saw the man that I was looking for._

_The man was clothed in a black tunic and grey slacks. He wore dull brown boots and wore leather wrist bands on each wrist. He was somewhat tan and had short black hair with grey streaks but he still seemed young. As I got closer to the bars he looked up and had an expression of pure surprise on his face._

"_You're alive?" he asked me and moved towards the bars. I back away a little so he would not get too close to me. "I thought for sure I had killed you. Good thing I didn't," he said and gave a little chuckle._

"_Why would you be relieved that you did not kill me?" I asked him being a little curious._

"_It is not my thing to kill innocent people," he replied._

"_But you killed all those other people, I saw you, you murdered them," I said recalling the sight of him killing those people._

"_Those were bad people, you should be thanking me, they would have brainwashed you too," he responded as he looked at me a little seriously._

"_They were the royal family, our rulers, they kept the kingdom safe," I retorted. He only chuckled at me and I looked at him confused for a bit._

"_Look beautiful, your 'rulers' are actually tyrants, this is no kingdom. They are only looking for subjects that will obey without question. I was asked to get rid of them, no thanks to you getting in the way, I am one short from completing my task," he responded with a bit of attitude._

"_My fault?" I looked at him, a little offended, "How is it my fault?" I asked harshly. He simply shook his head._

"_Look, I have no time to argue, with every passing moment the princess is out there carrying on her father's legacy. Let me out and I will prove to you the error of this kingdom," he said trying to reason with me. _

_I tried to look into his eyes to see if there was any hint of him lying. He had brown eyes and it was hard not to get mesmerized by them but I mentally shook myself and decided that he was telling the truth._

"_What's in it for me?" I asked him._

"_Smart girl, I like you, I'll give you anything you want. All you have to do is get the key from that sleeping guard over there then you can decide on what you want," he said. I was a little hesitant at first but I agreed with him._

_I moved silently over to the sleeping guard and saw the keys dangling from his hip. I swiftly yet softly grabbed the keys and made sure not to make any noise. Once the keys were safely in my grasp I silently moved back over to the man's cell and tried to open the gate silently. _

_It didn't work too well because the guard heard me and woke up. He looked over my way and immediately pointed his weapon at me._

"_Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked as he made his way over to me. The door to the cell was already unlocked and before I could do or say anything the man rushed out and grabbed the weapon from the guard. He then ran the guard though and left him lying in a heap of blood._

"_Let's go beautiful," he said as he grabbed my hand and started to lead me out of the dungeons._

_We got out safely and rested of a rooftop that shielded us from view. I was still puffing because the man made me run all the way here even though no one spotted us._

"_Thanks for getting me out of there beautiful," he said as he leaned back against the wall with his hands behind his back._

"_My name is Lyra not beautiful," I snapped. He smirked a little before responding._

"_My name is Aeron. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said before continuing, "As I said back there, you help me and I help you, so what is it you want?" he asked me. I thought for a moment but I knew what I wanted from the beginning._

"_I want to get out of this city. I want to be free from here and see other places," I said and looked towards him._

"_Why haven't you left before?" he started to ask me, "It isn't that hard just to leave here," he added._

"_I'm too scared, I always had a chance but I never took it, I'm such a coward," I responded. I looked down at my hands and fidgeted with them for a while._

"_Hey," he said and I looked up at him, "if you have the opportunity to change something, why not take it?" he asked me. I looked back at my hands as I was not sure how to respond to that. "Once I am done here, I'll take you away from here, we'll go wherever you want," he finally said._

"_Really?" I asked as I looked back up at him again._

"_Of course, you saved me, I want to return the favour," he said. I gave a small smile and he smiled back._

"_Thank you Aeron," I said. He chuckled and rested back on the wall with his hands behind his head._

"Ah shit," I walked up the stairs and went back to my room. I pulled out my sketch book and started to draw something, anything, just to get my mind off of this mess.

By now it had already gotten on to midday. It was real quiet over where we were because no one was walking around the streets. I finally decided to place my sketch book back down on the bedside table and stood up from the bed. Ezio had been gone for a while now, I hoped that he was OK, but I still needed to look after Valeria.

I moved from the doorway of my bedroom over to Valeria's room. I knocked on the door twice and waited for Valeria to answer. I didn't get a response and I knocked on the door again.

"Valeria, open up, I need to speak with you," I still got no response and knocked on the door for the third time, "would you just open the door," I demanded. I still received no response so I just opened the door anyway and walked in.

Once I walked into the room I saw that she was not there and the window was wide open. How could I have been so stupid? I should have known that she would have done this. I shut the windows then went to my room, grabbed my satchel, headed down the stairs and locked my door on the way out.

* * *

I should have learnt from last time that she would be really hard to find. With the guards constantly around today it made it extremely hard for me to search some areas like last time. There were patrols everywhere and guards were pulling citizens up and asking them about things that I really didn't care about. I soon started to care though when one of them pulled me up.

"Excuse me _signora_ but we are looking for this criminal," The guard said as he held up a poster. I knew right then that it was Ezio but I did not let my expression show it, "his name is Ezio Auditore, he is a criminal who has escaped arrest, we asking if anyone has seen him," the guard stated.

"No, sorry, but I have not seen this man," I blatantly lied, which was half true, but still a lie.

"Thank you for your time, if you see him, let us know," the guard soon made his way around me and headed off to continue his search.

'_What the fuck happened here?_' I thought to myself. I kept on walking to find a quieter place in the city to rest.

After a few minutes I found a secluded alley and rested on some stacked up crates. I wasn't quite sure on what to do next, either go back to the house, or keep looking for Valeria. If the guards were really looking for Ezio then it would be best if I didn't go looking for him. Valeria is hard to find and I don't want to waste my time with trying to look for her.

I decided to just go back home, and if no one came back to the house by the next day, I would leave this place forever. So I got up off of the crates and took the long walk back home. I tried to avoid the guards this time, I didn't want to be held up again, and therefore I took the back alleyways.

It was way past midday by the time I got back to the house. I unlocked the door and headed inside, not feeling the need to keep the door locked, I felt it unnecessary at the time. I just sat at the table and waited for someone to knock on the door.

I sat there for a few minutes in silence, and then suddenly, I heard the door knock. It was quite frantic but I didn't feel the need to rush to the door.

"It's open," I called out. Slowly the door opened and in walked Ezio. I looked up at him worriedly as he closed the door behind him. He then sat on the opposite side of the table and placed his elbows on it with his face in his hands.

He didn't really say anything for the moment, just kept shaking his head, and mumbled some incoherent words.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" I asked. He removed his hands from his face and revealed blood shot eyes. He seemed at a loss for words as he kept opening up his mouth but no words formed.

"They're gone," he finally said. He placed a hand over his eyes as tears started to stream down his face. I placed my hand over the other one until he registered the feeling and wrapped his hand around mine. I gave him some time to finish crying before I said anything.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked him.

"I need to give my father and brothers a proper departure. I can't let them be thrown into a pit like common criminals," he replied.

"Do you know where they are keeping them?" I asked him.

"No," he said shaking his head, "but I may know how to find out," he added.

"OK, but I'm going with you this time, Valeria took off again," I responded and he looked at me a little shocked.

"How did she get out?" he asked.

"She went out the window, I'm so stupid, I should have kept a closer watch on her," I replied. He squeezed my hand lightly.

"I won't be able to help you out this time, but I'm sure she will turn up sooner or later," I gave him a weak smile and gave his hand a squeeze as well.

"Let's go then," and with that we left the house. Ezio led me to in front of where the prison is located and where his father and brothers where hanged.

* * *

We hung out in a secluded alley way and looked over out at the square. There was a lone guard there, not much people seemed to be around, and there surely were no other guards around.

"I'm going to have a bit of a word with that guard over there," Ezio said. He had his hood up and I couldn't read the expression on his face. "You should probably stay hidden back here, I don't want you to get caught too," I nodded in agreement and he walked off to go and confront the guard.

I witnessed Ezio rough the guard up a bit before he had him in submission. It made me sad to see this because I knew that Ezio would never be the same after this. Once Ezio was seemed satisfied with the information the guard had given him he let him go and made his way over to me.

"They have their bodies down near the _Porta San Niccolo_," He told me as he grabbed my hand and started leading me to the place. "That's on the south bank of the Arno," he lead me through the back alleys as he spoke.

Once we reached the Arno we saw that there was a pile of bodies and they were arrange next to the pit. From what we could make out, there were only two guards; they didn't seem very experience though with the way they carried their weapons.

"I'll have to kill them," Ezio mumbled. I pulled him back by the shoulder before he could move.

"No, if you do, then it will raise some suspicion," I warned him. He looked towards me softly then nodded.

"If you say so, I won't, but stay here and keep watch," I nodded and he snuck down once the guards were further enough away. I watched with sadness as he carried each of his family members down to a boat that was tied at the docks.

* * *

We stood in silence as Ezio watched the boat that was now aflame be carried out to sea with the bodies of his family members. I stayed by his side, even until the flames could not be seen anymore, before he decided to head back into the city.

I followed him back and when I caught up by his side he held my hand and squeezed it a little and I did the same back just to give him some assurance.

"I'm going to make sure that my mother and sister are safe," he started and then pulled me closer a little, "Then I will have to leave, for good," he added heavily.

"Alright then," I replied, a little sad to hear that he has to leave his home forever.

"I want you to come with me, it would make me happy if you say yes, I want to make sure you're taken care of too," I was caught off guard for a moment. I looked down at the ground as he waited for my answer.

"I still have to look for Valeria," I responded and looked up at him. He nodded.

"I understand, but when you do find her, you both will come with me and my family right?" he asked hopefully. I felt really conflicted but I knew that I could not stay here very long either.

"Yes," I replied. All of a sudden he pulled me into an embrace and captured my lips in a kiss. The kiss didn't last long but it felt very passionate. He wanted me to be there for him and I guess that was OK. He pulled away from the kiss and looked down into my eyes, and for a while, he seemed quite hopeful.

"I won't let you down," I gave him a small smile and he slightly smiled back.

"We should probably get back to the house. We're both going to need some rest," I suggested and he nodded in agreement.

Ezio still didn't seem like his usual self when we rested that night. I highly doubted he would be the same person ever again. I wasn't sure he slept well that night either, but he did fall fast asleep, and he didn't seem to have any nightmares. He had a big day and soon after I fell right asleep too.

* * *

Ezio left early the next day to go and see to the safety of his mother and sister. I decided to leave later on and to continue to search for Valeria. I got something to eat, locked the house up, and then started to search for Valeria again.

I knew I wouldn't be able to find her, but I tried at least, and that never hurt anyone. I had searched all day and I couldn't find a single trace of where she could be. I decided to sit at a bench underneath the tree. By this time the sun was starting to set and I felt a little tired.

The shade of the tree was pleasant and so was the slight breeze that rolled through. I contemplated on whether I should go back to the house or not but I felt too at peace to go back.

"Azura?" I heard someone ask in surprise to my right. I looked over and saw Ezio walking over to me. "Are you doing OK?" he asked as he sat down next to me on the bench.

"I'm doing fine, I still haven't found Valeria though, are your mother and sister doing OK?" I asked him wondering if he had caught up with his remaining family by now.

"They are safe, and that is good enough for me," he responded.

"That's good," I replied, "So what are you doing here?" I continued.

"I am actually here to see a friend of mine, do you want to come with me?" he asked.

"OK then," we then got up from the bench and Ezio led me over to a house that I had apparently been sitting opposite from. "Who is this friend of yours anyway?" I asked curiously.

"His name is Leonardo da Vinci, I need his help with something," he responded as we walked up to the front door. Ezio knocked on it and waited for an answer. Soon enough the door opened and a man who looked to be in his thirties stood in the doorway.

"Oh! Ezio Auditore! I… I didn't expect to see YOU again. What with all that's happened…Ah! Where are my manners? Welcome back," he said as he ushered us both in to his home. "Who is your friend?" he asked gesturing to me.

"Leonardo this is Azura… Azura this is Leonardo," he said as he introduced the both of us.

"Pleasure to meet you Azura," Leonardo said, extending a hand for me to shake. I ignored him and walked away, too busy looking around his workshop.

From what I gathered this man was painter of some sort. He had so many unfinished works and very few finished ones. He also seemed to have other different contraptions around the workshop which suggested to me maybe he was more than a painter.

"So what brings you both here?" Leonardo asked expectantly.

"I need a favour Leonardo," Ezio began.

"How may I be of service," Leonardo asked allowing Ezio to continue.

"I was hoping you could repair something of mine?" Ezio finally asked.

"Of course," Leonardo said with a gleam, "Come! This way," he said as he led Ezio over to a work bench. I stood around and looked at some paintings and other contraptions that were cluttered around the work shop.

"Let me just clear a space," he mumbled as he moved some papers out of the way. "Alright, let's see it," he said once he had finished clearing a space. I saw Ezio produce a bracer and a blade and placed them on the work bench before Leonardo.

"Fascinating," Leonardo observed the broken item before him and tried a few ways to repair it. Sadly he could not and gave up trying.

"I don't know Ezio. Despite its age the construction is rather advanced. I've never seen anything quite like it before," he said as he turned towards Ezio, "I'm afraid there's not much I can do without the original plans… _Mi dispiace_," he concluded.

Ezio seemed a little disappointed and went to grab his things but was pulled up by Leonardo.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Leonardo then moved the damaged bracer and blade off to the side and picked up a scroll that Ezio had also given him with the items.

"What are you doing?" Ezio asked as Leonardo started to read the contents of the page.

"The contents of this page are encrypted," he started as he scanned through the words. I moved closer to the table, interested to know what was going on. "But if my theory is correct… based on these sketches… it may very well…" Leonardo started to trail off as he continued to read through the page.

"It may very well what?" Ezio asked a little impatiently.

"Please sit," Leonardo said motioning to a chair across from the desk.

"Leonardo?" Ezio asked again a little more impatient this time. Leonardo just shooed him away again and continued to work on the page.

So Ezio waited and I watched with fascination as Leonardo worked on fixing the blade and bracer. I have worked in blacksmith shops some of my life but I have never seen anyone build any contraption like this. From what I figured the blade is designed to be concealed within the bracer and acts as a hidden blade.

Ezio had fallen asleep hours ago and Leonardo was just finishing up on the repairs. He held up the device and smiled and I looked at him surprised and a little wide eyed.

"I decided with a dull appearance to the bracer…" he started to say.

"… So it doesn't draw any attention," I finished for him and he nodded.

"Exactly," he said and went to wake Ezio up. "Ezio wake up," Leonardo said as he shook Ezio awake.

"Eh?" Ezio asked as he woke up.

"The blade is finished. I managed to decode that parchment of yours, it showed me exactly what to do," he said as he showed Ezio the bracer. Ezio went to grab the object but Leonardo pulled it away from him. "Now all that is left is to remove your ring finger," he stated.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry…" Leonardo started to say as he spoke to both of us, "... but this is how it must be done. The blade is designed to ensure the 'commitment' of whoever wields it," he then drew out a cleaver and motioned for Ezio to place his hand on the table.

"_Bene_, do it quickly," Ezio placed his hand on the table and looked away.

"The hell you will," I growled.

"I have to do this Azura," Ezio said sternly.

"No you don't," I retorted.

"Azura," Ezio finally concluded and I glared it him for a bit before shaking my head and turning away. If he wanted to lose a finger over this then that is his choice.

I heard the cleaver make contact with the wooden table and I took a glance back. I saw that Ezio's ring finger was still intact and Leonardo let out a bit of a chuckle.

"I was only having fun Ezio. Though the blade once required a sacrifice, it's been modified. You can keep your finger," Leonardo handed Ezio the bracer and Ezio strapped it on. Ezio tested the blade and it seemed to be working just fine.

"Incredible," he stated as he let the blade retract.

"It is. Tell me, do you have other pages like this?" Leonardo asked.

"Sorry, just the one," Ezio responded.

"Listen – if you do ever happen across another one of these, please, bring it to me," Leonardo said as he gave the page back to Ezio.

"You have my word and thank you for fixing this it-" Ezio was cut off by the sounding of knocking on the door. I jumped a little and looked towards the door.

"By order of the Florentine guard: open this door!" I heard a man shout as he continued banging his fist on the door.

"Eh, just a moment," Leonardo said and then turned to us and whispered.

"Wait here," he then went to answer the door. We hid out of view and I saw a guard at the door.

"Are you Leonardo da Vinci?" the guard asked.

"_Si_, how may I be of service?" Leonardo asked politely.

"I need to answer some questions," the guard ordered and Leonardo nodded.

"Certainly," he said. They both stepped outside and moved into Leonardo's courtyard located next to the house. I moved towards the door and crept along the wall so I could hear what they were saying and Ezio drew on his hood and followed me carefully.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Leonardo asked.

"A witness claims to have seen you consorting with an enemy of the city," the guard accused as he pointed a finger at Leonardo.

"What? Me? Consorting? Preposterous!" Leonardo tried to lie but the guard was having none of it.

"When was the last time you saw or spoke with Ezio Auditore?" the guard asked.

"Who?" Leonardo asked trying to play dumb but the guard was having none of it.

"Don't play dumb with me! We know you were close with the family," Leonardo shrugged his shoulders and the guard pushed him on the ground. "Perhaps this will help to clear your head," the guard then proceeded to kick Leonardo in the ribs. "Ready to talk?" he kicked him again, "What about now?" he gave him a third kick.

"I'm going to help him," Ezio said. I tried to stop him but he was too quick and he was upon the man and drove his hidden blade through the man's lungs. Leonardo got up and dusted himself off.

"_Grazie_ Ezio," Leonardo thanked.

"Sorry about that," Ezio said as pointing to the guard.

"Eh. I've grown accustomed to their abuses," Leonardo said waving his hand in the air.

"What of the body?" I questioned as I joined the two.

"We'll bring it inside and put it with the others," Leonardo suggested.

"Others?" I asked crossing my arms.

"The city gives them to me for research," Leonardo explained. Ezio picked up the body and we followed Leonardo back inside his workshop.

Once we were inside Leonardo motioned over to a different room and ordered Ezio to place the body in there. Ezio obeyed and placed the body in the other room then came back out.

"See? Like it never happened!" Leonardo exclaimed. Ezio nodded and replied.

"Thank you Leonardo. For everything," Leonardo gave Ezio a warm smile.

"Anytime! And remember – if you find more of those strange pages, bring them to me. Should they contain new designs, I will upgrade your blade as well for you," Leonardo responded.

"Of course, thank you again my friend," and with that Ezio and I walked headed outside the workshop.

* * *

We walked through the back alley as the guards were still looking for Ezio. We made our way towards a street which Ezio crossed quickly but I hesitated in the middle of it. I looked down the left side if the street because the house was down that way.

"Azura, come on, let's keep moving," Ezio said as he waved his hand for me to come closer to him. I shook my head and looked back down the street again.

"I should get back to the house. Valeria may be there," I explained and I saw an expression of realization on his face.

"Oh, yeah, you're right," he responded.

"I'll come and find you if I find Valeria. Or if I do not see you by tomorrow afternoon then you can come and get me," I explained and he nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," he walked up to me and gave me a small kiss, "Be safe though," I nodded and he took of down the alley ways. I turned and walked on home.

I reached the front door of the house, entered and locked the door behind me. I was about to make my way past the table but I then notice a note placed upon the table top. I picked it up and began reading it.

_Azura_

_If you are reading this it would mean that by now I have left the city. I am probably out in the Tuscany country side right now. I know what happened, to Ezio's father and brothers, I was there._

_I can only hope that you find the courage to tell Ezio what you knew. I know there is some good in you to trust people and I hope you find another friend that will lead you on the right path._

_Don't ever come looking for me. I am your best friend and I don't want you to waste your time on looking for me. You have other important things to do and I know now that I should not have said any of those horrible things about your job._

_I know that I had to leave you; I was holding you back, misleading you. Know that I do not regret the day I met you. There is no one quite like you. Cherish this._

_I know this is a long and sad goodbye, I bet you would be crying right now. I have only known you for a short time but I feel like it has been forever._

_Be safe and try not to get into trouble._

_Your best friend_

_Valeria_

I placed the note back on the table and covered my eyes with both of my hands. She was right, I was crying, and I felt like such an idiot. Valeria was probably one of the only friends I had left in this world and now she is gone.

I collapsed in a chair and placed my elbows on the table. I felt so alone and all I felt like doing was crying. I thought I had no tears left but I cried. I didn't know how long I had stayed at that table but it was for a long time.

I finally stopped crying and headed up the stairs and into the room. I didn't even have the energy to properly place my satchel on the table top. I let it drop onto the ground and collapsed on the bed. I wasn't even sure why I was this upset. I had people leave before, why was this different?

I laid my head on the pillow and fell fast asleep. I didn't dream about anything, I didn't have a nightmare about anything, I just slept. I was so tired.

* * *

**Well here is another chapter for you guys. Not sure on what I should say but hey, enjoy reading and leave a review. Thanks to all the people who read this story you guys are amazing.**

**Thank you to all the people who have Favorited this story and of course thanks to those who have left a review. **

**As always, happy reading.**

**-Midnight**


	8. Irrationality

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**LucDeep**

**nightshadess**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think because I may not upload another chapter in a while and I want to know if you guys would like more. I am starting to feel unwell at the moment because I am not getting enough sleep again and I also have University as well. **

**Reviews are very much appreciated.**

* * *

**Irrationality**

I stayed in the house that whole day. I didn't eat, nor left the room. I stayed on the bed the whole day. I didn't feel well enough to leave the house so I just waited for Ezio to come back. If he even does and for a moment I hoped that he was OK.

The sun slowly but eventually made its way from east to west, dawn to dusk. I rest my chin on top of the pillow and rested my arms underneath. I stared at the head of the bed for some time before I heard a knocking on the door. I slowly got up, grabbed my satchel, and headed downstairs. I made it to the door and reached out to open it. Ezio was standing there eagerly waiting for me.

"We're going to leave the city now," he said and I looked behind him to see his mother and sister with him, "where's Valeria?" he looked behind me to see if she was there and perhaps I had found her.

"She's gone," I dispassionately said.

"Do you know where she is?" he asked and I shook my head.

"She left me a note saying goodbye, she's not coming back anytime soon," I replied. Both Claudia and Ezio exchanged worried looks, "we going to head out now?" I asked breaking their glances.

"Yes, just follow me, and stay close," he warned.

"What about the guards, they aren't exactly friendly towards you at the moment," I interjected.

"Don't worry about it, I've taken care of it," he replied as I walked out of the house and locked the door. I held out the key to him but he waved it away. "Keep it, I'd rather have you take care of it," I looked at him with a confused look.

"It's yours though, you don't mind?" he shook his head.

"I trust you," I nodded and placed the key in my satchel. He then led us through the streets a little more confidently but still with a little caution. None of the guards really cared to notice us and we soon had reached the gates of the city. The gates were heavily guarded however and I was doubtful they would let us through.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked, "They aren't exactly going to let us through without noticing you," I warned.

"I have documents with false names that a friend of mine created, we should be able to head through undetected," He explained as we walked up to the guards. Ezio showed them the documents and they let us past. I acted calm but on the inside I was freaking out a little and breathed a sigh of relief once we were all safely outside of the city. When we reached the road Claudia started to let her questions flow.

"How could this have happened to us?" she first of all asked.

"I don't know," Ezio replied.

"Will we ever be able to come back?" she continued to ask.

"I don't know," Ezio replied, sounding a little more irritated.

"What will happen to our house?" Ezio rounded on her this time and replied.

"I don't know," he snapped and turned back to continue walking. We were all silent for a moment and I gave Ezio a glared but he ignored me.

"Were they… were they given a proper burial?" Claudia finally asked and Ezio let out a shaky breath.

"Yes, they were," he said nodding towards Claudia whom then went silent and let her mother lean on her.

* * *

We travelled most of that day and I wasn't even sure where we were going. We had bought some food along the way and rested in the shade of a couple of trees before continuing our travels. We were slower than I would have like but I was being patient because of Ezio's mother. She didn't look like her usual self when I had met her and I figured that this was because of the shock from the previous days.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked Ezio then after we were a good three hours into the journey.

"We are heading to Monteriggioni. My uncle, Mario, should be able to help us," he responded.

"How far is that? I don't believe I have heard of the place before," and I really didn't know anything about the place, although I have never been to _Italia_ before.

"We should be there by tomorrow afternoon," he replied. I wondered if his family would even make it that far. I shouldn't be the one to judge though but I hope this doesn't have any detrimental effects alter on.

By the afternoon we had found an abandoned barn and decided to sleep there for the night. Ezio and his mother and sister ate what was left of their food but I refused to eat as I was not feeling hungry.

"I'm going to check around the barn, see if there isn't anything useful in here," I said.

"It's abandoned, I doubt there would be anything left," Ezio replied.

"You'd be surprised on what people miss," I said as I started to check through the stalls of the barn where I assumed they kept horses. I only really found old hay in each but came across something interesting when I reached the last stall.

"Find anything?" Ezio asked as he came over to join me.

"There is a saddle in here," I replied and walked into the stall. There was an old brown saddle that still seemed to be in good condition and it was resting on a pile of hay. I saw a bridle also on top of the saddle and I placed it and the saddle on the door of the stall.

"Who would leave that here?" Ezio asked.

"Not sure but I'm going to take a look out the back. There might be something else out there," I suggested and he nodded.

"Ezio, I need your help," we both turned and saw Claudia with a look of distress on her face.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Ezio replied. I walked out of the stall and headed out into the back field.

I walked around the edges of the barn but I couldn't find anything. I decided that I should walk out a little further to see if I can't find a small house of some sort.

I walked over a hill that the barn was at the base of and looked around. I couldn't see much else but I spotted a round corral down at the bottom of the small hill. Though what was inside interested me. I spotted what I believe was a horse. I wasn't sure why anyone would leave a horse out here but I went down to inspect the animal.

I reached the fence of the corral and got a closer look at the horse. It was a beautiful chestnut with a white blaze down its face and a white sock on its back left leg. The horse immediately noticed me and decided to walk up to the fence. Once it was close enough I reached my hand out and patted the horse gently on its nose to which the horse nickered lightly.

"What are you doing out here all alone boy?" I asked. This horse surely wasn't wild otherwise it wouldn't be in this corral. Though no one seemed to have visited in a while and I spotted a saddle clothe next to the gate of the corral.

The horse neighed somewhat loudly and placed his head in my arms. I hugged the animal and felt a little joyous in the moment. I looked around and I still couldn't see anything that might indicate on where the horse came from.

"I'll be back boy," I turned and headed up the hill and heard the horse let out a neigh after me. I looked back down and saw that animal paw the ground violently and called out to me again. I smiled slightly and started to head over the hill again.

I reached the barn and went to the stall where I grabbed the bridle and went to head back out again.

"Where are you going?" I heard Ezio whisper from across the barn.

"Don't worry, I'll be back," I replied and headed out of the barn again and back over the hill. Once the horse saw me he had his ears forward and started to wait patiently. "Told you I'd be back," I said to the horse. The horse nickered softly and I started to pat his nose.

I went around to the gate and thankfully it opened so I let myself in and then shut it behind me. The horse noticed this and confidently walked up to me and I held out my hand and patted its nose.

I took one rein of the bridle and slung it over his neck and then brought the bit to his mouth. He took the bit eagerly and I secured the bridle around his head.

"I see whoever owned you taught you well," I commented and the horse somewhat nodded his head which made me laugh a little, "Maybe you can help us, and get out of this corral," I took the reins and led the horse out of the gate. I made sure to bring the saddle cloth with me and I led the horse over the hill and to the barn.

Once I had reached the barn I had heard screams of some sort so I picked up my pace a little. I loosely tied the horse to a wooden post and inspected the issue. I saw that Maria was pushing her daughter away violently and clutching onto a wooden box that she had carried all the way here. Once I had gotten there she settled down and lay down on her side and held the box tightly.

"What happened?" I asked. Claudia looked away and shook her head and Ezio looked shocked.

"We tried to get her to give up the box. It was Petruccio's," he said sadly. I watched the form of Ezio's mother curled up on fresh hay and rocking slightly with her eyes shut tightly.

"Let her keep the box then, she may feel more like herself when we get to Monteriggioni," Ezio slightly nodded and both brother and sister left their mother alone to get some rest. "Look over here," I said as I pointed to the horse down the end of the barn.

"Where did you get him?" Ezio asked as I led him over to the chestnut stallion.

"I found him down in a corral over that hill," I had one arm wrapped around the horses neck and I used the other to point over towards the small hill next to the barn.

"He may belong to someone else," Ezio said as he inspected the horse, "I don't think anyone would just leave an animal like this behind," he concluded.

"I found him alone, the field out there grew wild and there wasn't a house to be seen for miles. Besides… he seems to like me," the horse then nickered softly and rubbed his head gently against me which caused me to smile.

"I didn't know you had a soft spot for animals," Ezio complimented as he watched me and the horse.

"I guess I do," I said and gently patted the horse's neck, "he can help your mother out too… we can place the saddle on him… I know he'll be a good horse," I tried to beg Ezio to allow for the horse to stay. Ezio looked at me for a bit then back to the horse.

"Are you sure this horse was alone?" he asked.

"I am positive," I replied. Ezio thought for a moment and then let out a sigh before nodding a yes. I smiled and gave the horse a small pat on his face.

"So what are you going to call him?" Ezio asked me. I hadn't really thought about that but I guess that I should give him a name. I pondered over some ideas before coming across one.

"I'll name him Ricardo," I finally said and the horse whinnied slightly and nodded its head, "you like that name?" I asked Ricardo and he placed his head in my arms to which I gave him a hug. Ezio chuckled a little at this.

"Come on Azura, let's get some rest," Ezio reached his hand towards me but Ricardo went to bite him instead. Luckily Ezio moved his hand away fast enough and I let out a slight laugh. "You think that's funny?" he asked and I calmed myself down.

"Is Ricardo a little jealous?" I asked as I turned to Ricardo and instead the horse placed his head in my arms again as if he didn't do anything. Ezio didn't look too impressed and I smirked a little.

"Looks like I have some competition now," Ezio commented and I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. I placed Ricardo in one of the stalls and started to walk away with Ezio.

"Get some sleep now Ricardo," It was as if the horse had understood me as he hung his head and rested his eyes. Claudia was fast asleep next to her mother and Ezio shifted around some hay and then lay on top of it once he was satisfied. He looked towards me and patted the spot next to him. I got on the hay and tried to get comfortable next to him and he wrapped and arm around me.

"I feel a little better knowing that you are safe with me," he whispered into my ear.

"You know this won't last forever. You will have to leave me sooner or later and I have other work that needs to be done," he looked hurt for a moment and grazed his fingers over my lips.

"I plan on taking my family further onward to Spain… Azura… I need you to come with me," there was so much emotion in his voice, so much want, and desire.

"Ezio…" I started to whisper but he stopped me from speaking when he placed his index finger on my lips.

"I want us to be together forever. I know we have only known each other for a short time but there is something there. I know you feel it too," and I knew he was right. I didn't want to admit it but I knew that I was falling for him more and more.

"It won't last though," I whispered back, trying to convince him that this was foolish. I didn't want to end up like last time. I was too afraid.

"I want to make it work. We can live together quietly, somewhere out in the country, we'll be happy," he sounded hopeful with each word.

"I can't-"

"Marry me," he suddenly said as he cut me off mid-sentence.

"What?" I asked dubiously.

"I want you to marry me," he repeated again with a little more clarification. I wasn't sure whether he was crazy or serious.

"You're irrational," I replied back with a whisper.

"I will do anything to have you by my side," he started to stroke my cheek and I let out a sigh.

"Get some sleep," I rolled over on my other side and had my back to him. Closing my eyes I soon went to sleep waiting for the next day.

* * *

I woke up early because I felt a little restless. I looked around me and saw that everyone was still sleeping. I got up and brushed some hay off of me. I heard Ricardo nicker softly from the other side of the barn so I went to go check on him. He lifted his head and had his ears forward when he saw me. I smiled and gave him a started to stroke his neck.

"Sleep well boy?" I asked. He gave me a look that suggested that he wasn't too happy, "Yeah, me neither, we'll get out of here soon though," I grabbed the rains and opened the stall to put the bridle on him, "Let's see if we can't get that saddle on you," I tied him to a post and grabbed the saddle cloth and the saddle and swung it over his back. I started to saddle Ricardo up but then I heard some footsteps behind me.

"Do you need any help?" I turned around to see Claudia standing there.

"Don't worry, I've got this," I said as I finished saddling up Ricardo, "Fits nicely but I'm going to have to get him new gear," I stated as I checked to see if the saddle would slip or not.

"Why is that?" Claudia asked.

"Well, the saddle cloth is nearly in pieces which means the saddle will rub against his skin. The leather on the bridle and saddle are a worn and brittle so it won't last much longer," I explained as I checked Ricardo over.

"Who taught you this?" she asked eagerly. I was taken aback by the question a little but answered shortly afterwards.

"Uh, I don't really remember," I replied, "It was a while ago," I added.

"Are you two OK," Ezio asked as he came and joined us.

"Yes brother," Claudia replied.

"We'll leave soon," he said and Claudia nodded and went to tend to her mother. There was some awkward tension between us before Ezio spoke again, "how is Ricardo?" he asked.

"He's doing fine… he should be able to help out today," It felt really awkward due to the conversation from last night.

"Sorry, for what I said last night, I was being a little irrational. I hope that I didn't make you feel uncomfortable," he spoke softly.

"Don't worry about it. It was a little uncomfortable talking about it at that moment. No harm done though," I lightly smiled and he smiled back, "We'll discuss it after we get to Monteriggioni," he nodded in agreement.

I started to follow Ezio while leading Ricardo. Ezio was making sure that Maria would be well enough to be able to ride the horse but she nodded her head anyway and Ezio helped her up on Ricardo. Ricardo was an average size horse so it wasn't difficult for Maria to get on. Ricardo shifted a little under the new weight but he settled down soon after. Once we were all ready we head back out on the road.

* * *

We travelled for most of that day but it was pleasant. A cool breeze was rolling through and the sun was shining nicely. We passed some fields that people were tending to and there were also other people that were travelling on the road in carriages as well.

Later that afternoon I saw a stone wall in the distance. I was leading Ricardo who wasn't too fussed with the constant travelling all day. He lifted his head and had his ears forward once he saw what was ahead of us as well.

"Nearly there," Ezio said sounding a little tired.

"_Grazie a Dio_," Claudia replied happily as she was eager to get back to civilization. We all seemed to relax then but Ricardo seemed a little fidgety.

"What's wrong boy?" I asked. He started to follow close behind me and nearly crowded me.

"Is he OK?" Ezio asked. I got Ricardo to calm down a little and then I nodded my head. We walked around a bend and I looked down the road to the approaching walls of Monteriggioni. I also saw some figures in the distance that I couldn't recognize at first but they soon came into view.

"_Buon giorno_ Ezio!" Vieri stated as the group of guards started to approach us, "How could you leave _Firenze _without saying a proper goodbye?" he asked mockingly as the guards started to surround us.

"What do you want Vieri?" Ezio asked as he motioned for us to come closer.

"So many things! A larger Palazzo, two new steeds, a prettier bride… Oh and yes, your life!" Vieri then drew out his sword as did the other guards.

I cautiously went to my satchel and subtly pulled unwrapped the cloth from the dragon hilted dagger. I really need a scabbard for that thing but now was not the time. I noticed the two guards behind Claudia move in slowly but I reacted faster.

In a moment I shoved Ricardo's reins onto Claudia, moved around her, and slashed one guard's throat. The next one made a move but I dodged to the right and shoved the dagger through his throat. I then heard Vieri shout to his guards.

"I grow tired of this. Finish him, and do not spare the women," The guards around him moved in on us all at once. I was about to go in for my next move but all of a sudden a shower of knives came down on the guards. One by one they went down and Vieri seemed a little frightened. "What sorcery is this?" he asked as he looked around.

"Not sorcery boy… skill," I heard a voice shout out but I wasn't sure where it was coming from.

"Show yourself," the rest of the guards were also afraid of what they should do next.

"As you wish," I then saw a rather large man with sleek black hair wearing armor emerged from the shrub land as well as a decent amount of mercenaries with him, "Here, use this," the man threw a sword to Ezio whom caught it easily.

"Kill them. Kill them all!" Vieri shouted. The mercenaries moved in on the guards and were besting them easily. The larger man who I assumed was the leader, knocked Vieri's sword from his grasp and the sword rattled along the ground. "Fall back!" Vieri shouted as he ran off with the remaining guards.

Everything seemed to have calmed down now and I moved over to Ezio. Relief was drawn on his features when he saw me still unharmed.

"Are you OK?" he whispered and I nodded. The man who helped us then confronted Ezio. "You have my thanks," Ezio said as he offered the sword back to the man.

"Keep the sword Ezio," the man humbly replied.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Ezio asked a little confused as to who this man was.

"Don't you recognize me?" the man asked and Ezio slowly shook his head, "It's a-me, Mario" the man, whose name was Mario, proclaimed as he stretch out his arms in excitement.

"Uncle Mario?" Ezio seemed astonished as well. All of a sudden Mario gave him a bear hug and lifted him off of the ground. I let out a small chuckle as Mario placed him back down on the ground.

"It's been too long _nipote_! Far too long!" Mario patted Ezio on the shoulder roughly, nearly causing Ezio to lose his balance. Mario then had a solemn look on his face and started acting seriously. "I heard what happened in _Firenze_… Terrible. Come. Let's get you all away from here," Mario turned around and we all started to follow him.

Claudia caught back up with me and handed me Ricardo's reins as he seemed upset that I wasn't there. We were approaching the walls of Monteriggioni and soon I could see that walls clearly. They seemed to run around the whole place like the Great Wall of China.

"I don't believe I have met you before. So what is your name?" Mario asked and I was brought back to reality.

"Azura," I replied. I wasn't sure why but I felt like I could trust this man, and that was rare.

"Well Azura, you fight well, I didn't think a woman could hold her own like that," he complimented.

"With the right mindset and proper training I think it is possible," I replied. Mario smiled at that.

"You'll love it here then," I smiled back and soon enough we were right outside the walls. "You can leave your horse over in the stables there," Mario pointed to the stables next to the entrance of Monteriggioni.

I nodded and Ezio helped his mother down. Mario then led me over to the stables and the stable master took Ricardo and led him away to give him some food and water. Ricardo didn't like that though and threw his head causing the stable master to lose his grip on the reins. Ricardo then pranced back to me and stuck his nose into my chest.

"Stubborn horse aren't you?" I asked Ricardo and he shook his head a little, "I'll be back later," I said and handed the reins back to the stable master. Ricardo didn't protest this time and went along willingly.

"Smart horse," Mario complimented, "Is he yours?" he asked me then.

"I found him," I replied. He nodded and led us into Monteriggioni.

"So! Tell me everything," Mario started as he turned to Ezio.

"They executed father for treason. Federico and Petruccio too. Then they came for me," Ezio explained as we walked with Mario.

"Do you know why?" Mario asked.

"I have no answers uncle… Only a list of names taken form a man who wished me dead," Ezio replied, "I still can't believe they are gone," he then added.

"Don't worry. We'll make sense of this," Mario said trying to sound hopeful.

"I wish I shared your optimism," Ezio skeptically replied.

Come on, keep pace, I think you will find much to like in Monteriggioni," Mario started as he changed the subject.

"I thought Monteriggioni was an enemy of _Firenze_…" Ezio replied.

"For now. Next year it will be its friend. The year after that its enemy again. And on and on. I cannot keep track, so I have stopped trying," Mario replied with a sigh as we walked through the market area of Monteriggioni.

"These are honest, hardworking people. Our shops may only carry simple goods, but they're well-made and dependable," I looked around and there really wasn't that much to look at. "Did you know that the Villa Auditore is almost two hundred years old? It was built by my great-grandfather, a strange man, who carried all kinds of secrets," Mario continued as we walked up some stairs and towards the Villa Auditore.

It wasn't exactly what I had in mind. The place seemed run down, vines were growing over the walls, and the garden didn't look that much good to look at either. It really seemed neglected if you look at it without the people walking around.

"With all the fighting that has been going on, this place has started to get a bit rough around the edges. I wish I could do something about it, but I just don't have the time or money to fix thing up. Guess that's life, eh?" Mario finished as we made it to the front of the villa. "Here we are. _Casa dolce casa!_ So? What do you think?" Mario asked us.

"It's most impressive," I commented as I looked around.

"She's seen better days I suppose. Believe me, I'd have her shining again… if only I had the time," Mario replied, "Let's get you all settled in then," Mario showed us all around and gave us appropriate accommodation.

* * *

I was given a room upstairs and across from where everyone else was. It was the last room on the left side of the villa. It was slightly like the old room I had before but this one seemed much brighter than the last one. The bed was cozier too and was against the wall that was opposite the door. It had a window over the bed, on the wall adjacent to the one with the door and there was also a desk against the wall opposite that. There was also a wardrobe but there was nothing in it.

It was getting late by now and I felt somewhat tired as I didn't get much sleep in the past couple of days. I placed my satchel on the desk, took my boots off and sat on the bed. This bed seemed larger than the one I had and I spread myself out on it and relaxed on the covers. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and I had to get out of my comfy spot to answer it. I opened the door and of course it was Ezio.

"May I come in," I nodded and let him in, closing the door behind him. I noticed that he had changed into a simple plain white shirt with some of his chest being exposed, as well as some long pants.

"Need anything?" I asked. He smiled slightly and pulled me into an embrace. He caught me off guard when he picked me up bridal style and carried me over to the bed and plopped me down. He climbed on afterwards and wrapped his arms around me all while he was chuckling lightly.

"Just you," he simply replied and buried his face in my neck taking in my scent, "you smell beautiful," he complimented and I slightly blushed. He ran his fingers through my hair and smiled into my skin. I laughed a little and he looked back up into my eyes.

"As I was saying, do you need anything?" I asked again but he just continued to stare into my eyes, "are you tired?" I finally asked after staring into those tired looking golden eyes.

"No," he simply replied and raised his right hand to caress my cheek.

"You've had a pretty rough time these last couple of days. You must be exhausted," I said as I removed his hand which fell upon the covers lazily. His eyes then started to drift close and I lightly shook him away again, "you should probably get back to your room if you're feeling tired," he rubbed at his eyes with his right hand and then let out a deep sigh.

"From now on, I don't want to spend a second without you," he smiled slightly and his eyes started to drift close again. I didn't try to protest this time because I was too tired to care, "_Ti amo_," he mumbled before drifting to sleep.

"Goodnight Ezio," I whispered back knowing that he would be staying here for the night. I stroked his hair until I felt my eyes starting to drift close. I placed my left hand on top of his right hand and drifted to sleep.

* * *

**I'm really tired an not feeling that well. Sorry if this took a long time but I do have Uni and it is really important for me to do well this semester. **

**Happy reading**

**-Midnight**


	9. The Blacksmith

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**nightshadess**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

**Reviews are very much appreciated.**

* * *

**The Blacksmith**

After a dreamless night, I woke the next morning, but the side of the bed where Ezio was is empty. I stretched out my arms and felt the empty space next to mine. I opened my eyes and looked around but he wasn't in the room anymore. I felt the space next to me and it still felt somewhat warm which means he must have only just gotten out of the bed.

It felt weird not having him there next to me in the morning. I had gotten used to that feeling by now and it just felt normal that he would be there. I stopped myself thinking that though and shook my head in frustration.

'_What the hell is wrong with me?_' I thought to myself, '_I don't have time for this nonsense. Why the hell am I still here?_' Really I should have been long gone by now, I never stay in the same place, but I wasn't sure why this was different.

I heard someone knock on the door so I got out of bed to answer it. When I opened the door I saw Ezio standing there. He seemed a little more relaxed today and he had a slight smile on his face when he saw me. In his hand were some clothes which he held out to me.

"I have some new clothes for you. These should me a lot more comfortable," he said as I grabbed the bundle of clothing out of his hands. He then gave me a seductive look before saying, "Do you need any help," I slammed the door on his face and I could hear a fairly loud chuckle on the other side of the door.

I rolled my eyes and slightly smiled as I went to place the clothing on the bed. I began to remove my old clothing and looked through the new ones. There was a loose fitting white shirt which was much like my old one but this one actually fit. There was also a black vest with intricate designs in gold.

Including this also was some black pants there an easier fit than my old ones but a little tighter as well which felt good. These clothes were more comfortable and easier to move in. Once I was finished getting dressed I pulled on my boots I brushed my hair and headed out the door.

Ezio was standing out in the hall and when I exited from the room he pushed himself from the wall that he was leaning on and turned his attention to me. He was about to say something but couldn't form the words as his eyes looked upon me. He seemed mesmerised as he looked me up and down and started to smile.

"You look beautiful," I shook my head and bit my lip out of embarrassment which caused him to chuckle, "_Uno momento_," he said as he moved towards me. He grabbed the necklace, not sure why I still had that, and moved it so it was sitting out of the shirt, "Now you look beautiful," He stood there smiling but I grabbed the necklace and placed it back down my shirt.

"Don't be ridiculous," I said. He seemed a little upset but let out a chuckle. I smile slightly tugged at the corners of my lips but it quickly disappeared. We had a decent breakfast that morning which was organised by Mario. Once we had finished Claudia led Maria back to her room. The poor woman was not feeling well at the moment. Mario then started to talk to us both once the others were gone.

"You best hurry into town Ezio, you too Azura, and get yourselves properly kitted out. Once you two are finished, come back here and we'll begin," Mario stated as he sat back in his chair. Ezio exchanged a look of confusion with me then back at Mario.

"Begin what Uncle?" Mario then gave Ezio a look of utter surprise.

"I thought you had some here to train?" he uttered.

"No Uncle, I came here and keep my family safe, I intend to take them further still," Ezio replied.

"What about your father? He'd want you to finish his work," Mario stated.

"My father was a banker," Ezio stated, sounding confused.

"You mean he never told you?" Mario asked incredulously.

"Tell me what?" Ezio asked, sounding even more confused. Mario mumbled some words under his breath before speaking again.

"I need some time to think. In the mean time you two go into town, here is a list of what you need and the money for it," Mario ordered has he handed Ezio some money. Ezio and I then walked out of the villa, Ezio seemed a little confused, but I wasn't fazed by it.

"Do you know what is going on?" he asked me and I shook my head. We continued walking and made it to the blacksmith shop.

* * *

The blacksmith was a bald headed man with bludging muscles and a bushy moustache. He looked really tall as well and he didn't seem to be paying us any mind. His assistant on the other hand moved away from his work and greeted us.

"What can I get for you today?" the young man asked. He didn't seem Italian whatsoever, and his accent made him sound somewhat Spanish. He seemed to be around Ezio's age. He had chocolate brown eyes, his black hair complimented his tanned features, and he seemed to have well-toned muscles.

"I just need light armour and a battle-dagger," Ezio replied and the young man nodded his head.

"Also," I piped in as I pulled the dagger out of my satchel and placed it on the bench, "do you think you could make a sheath for this?" I asked. The young man's eyes lit up a little when he saw the dragon hilted dagger. He picked it up and studied it for a moment before replying.

"I'm not sure if I can-"

"Let me see that," the blacksmith ignored his work and went around to the bench. He picked the dagger up and studied it as well, "nice dagger," he complimented, "can't do anything for you, I don't work with leather. Person who was working for me used to do that, but they took off, something about making it rich," he said as he handed me that dagger back and turned around to return to his work.

"Then give me the material's, I'll make it myself," I declared and both Ezio and the young assistant both looked at me surprised. The blacksmith turned around and somewhat glared at me but I glared back.

"It's hard to make that kind of stuff you know," he stated and I nodded.

"I know, but give me the material's, I can make a sheath for this dagger if I had the right material's," the blacksmith looked me over then sighed and went through a door to the left and then came back out moments later with pieces of leather.

"I bet you one hundred florins that you can't make a sheath for that dagger. I will give you the materials for free but you have to come back with the finished product tomorrow," he dared and I smirked.

"I can make it by this afternoon," the blacksmith let out a laugh and I frowned then.

"Go ahead!" he shoved the materials towards me and continued laughing even as he went back to his work. I shook my head and then walked off with Ezio tailing behind me.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Ezio asked me sceptically.

"I worked in a blacksmith's shop remember?" I said. He thought for a moment and then nodded his head. We headed to the doctors and bought some bandages and a basic medical kit. Once we were done Ezio went and turned toward the villa. "Wait," I said and he turned around to look at me. "I want to visit Ricardo?"

"Of course," he said as he smiled and we both started to walk to the stables. Once we got there I saw the stable master cleaning around the stalls. We looked up towards us and waved us over.

"I'm glad you're here, you'll be happy to know that your horse is fine, he is a fit and healthy horse. Come, I'll show you where he is," he said as he led us to one of the end stalls. I saw Ricardo stick his head out and had his ears forward as soon as he saw me. The stable master went back to cleaning and I stuck my hand out to pat Ricardo.

"Hey there boy, how are you doing?" I asked the horse as he placed his head in my arms and nickered a little, "I'm glad to see that you are happy," I said as I smiled a little.

"He has someone very special to take care of him. Why wouldn't he be happy," I heard Ezio chuckle behind me which caused me to look back and smile. I turned towards Ricardo and he looked at me. I gave him a light kiss on the nose and hugged him. He lifted his head up and let out a neigh which causes me to laugh.

"Why does he get a kiss?" Ezio asked. I turned to him and smirked.

"Because he deserves it," I said and went back to patting Ricardo.

"And I don't?" I was having fun with this.

"You haven't proven that you deserve it," I playfully said and Ricardo nodded his head, "and he agrees," I added. Ezio smirked back at me and I looked at him seriously then.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked seductively as he went to reach out to me.

"Is it?" I questioned back. He went to snake his arms around me but Ricardo blocked him with his head. I laughed and moved Ricardo's head away so that I could get out, "I'll see you later, OK boy," I said as gave Ricardo one last pat.

* * *

We walked away from the stables and headed back up to the villa. Ezio went to Mario but I went up to my room to see if I could make that sheath for the dagger. I laid out the materials on the desk and weighed out my options.

'_This can work_,' I thought to myself and started to work on the sheath. It took me a while without the proper tools, but with I had I made it work, and it didn't look half bad. With random tools I found I finally made the sheath for the dagger.

To actually hold the leather together I had to find a candle and something to light it with. The leather was black which was fine and I carved some designs with a knife from the kitchen. Overall the end result wasn't too bad. It worked and that was all that mattered at the moment. By the time I cleaned up my room it was early afternoon and I headed down to the blacksmith.

I had reached the blacksmith shop and felt triumphant. The big man was hammering away at some metal and the assistant looked at me a little surprised.

"Your back?" he somewhat exclaimed and the blacksmith turned around to see what was going on.

"Well now," the big blacksmith said as he ignored his work and walked up to the bench, "let me guess, you gave up?" he asked with a big laugh. I smirked and placed the sheath on the table. The assistant nearly fell of his chair and the big blacksmith's laugh died down as he picked up the sheath and looked it over, "this is…," he started, unable to form words, "does the dagger fit?" he asked as I took the dagger from my satchel and placed it in the sheath. Perfect fit. He shook his head and went into a different room.

"How did you get that done so fast?" the assistant asked me. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Skill I guess," he smiled and shook his head which caused me to smile a little. The big blacksmith came back from the other room and threw me a money pouch.

"Hear you go," he said as he leaned on the bench, "but what else can you do?" he asked me and I gave him a questioning look.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Can you work a forge?" he asked. I nodded in response, "how about working here? You have talent kid, we could use that around here, what you say?" he asked me. I didn't know what to say, I had never worked in a blacksmith's shop in a while. I also wasn't sure how long I was going to be here for.

"I'll pass. Sorry," I said as I placed the sheathed dagger in my satchel. He nodded in understanding.

"Name's Amerigo by the way," he said as he offered his hand for me to shake in which I did, "what's yours?" he asked. I was a little hesitant on giving my name but I didn't think anything bad could come out of this.

"Azura," I said.

"Well Azura, if you change your mind, you know where to find me," he said as he went back to his work. The assistant turned to me and flashed me a smile.

"I'm Arturo by the way," he said as he held his hand out to me. I didn't shake it but gave him a slight smile.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Get back to work boy," Amerigo ordered gruffly to Arturo and I let out a slight giggle, which I don't normally do, and Arturo looked towards me and let out a small chuckle.

"I'll see you later Azura," Arturo said as he went back and returned to his work. I walked off and decided to visit Ricardo, besides; I did bring an apple for him which I know he'll love. Once I made it to Ricardo's stall he was leaning his head over trying to get closer to me.

"Hey there boy," I said as I went to pat him along his neck. He tried to reach down towards my satchel and started to sniff it. I pulled out the apple and his ears perked up, staring intently at the fruit. I smiled and handed it to him which he munched on gratefully. "You're a good boy aren't you?" he nickered softly and I smiled.

I stayed with Ricardo for a while, not really wanting to leave him, probably because I enjoyed his company. No one else seemed to be around so I happily talked to the horse and he happily listened.

"I never really talked to anyone who would just _listen_ to me," I was leaning against the stall door and Ricardo had his head leaning on my shoulder, "I knew someone a long time ago, but they're gone now," I continued as I softly stroked Ricardo's on the side of his head.

I stood there for quite some time, thinking about everything that I have been through ever since I came to _Italia_. I thought about leaving, but I didn't want to hurt Ezio's feelings. Ricardo nudged me and I smiled and went back to patting him.

"Azura?" I heard someone say in a Spanish accent. I looked up to see Arturo as he started to walk over to me. I was a little surprised to see him out here but I felt a little nervous for some reason, "what are you doing out here all alone?" he asked me. I felt a little funny being next to him and Ricardo had his head up and his ears forward.

"I am visiting my horse," I said and patted down Ricardo's neck. Arturo looked towards Ricardo then.

"He is a very nice horse," Arturo complimented and went to pat him but Ricardo was hesitant, "Easy boy," Arturo whispered in a low voice to Ricardo. He eventually placed his hand on Ricardo's nose and started to pat him. Ricardo actually didn't seem to mind at all and started to take a liking to Arturo.

"That's funny, Ezio could never get near Ricardo," I stated as I watched Arturo bond with Ricardo.

"Ezio? Was that the man that was with you this morning?" Arturo asked me.

"Yes," I replied and started to stroke Ricardo's neck. Ricardo pulled his attention away from Arturo and back to me.

"So… are you two… together… by any chance?" he asked in a somewhat nervous voice which caused me to smile slightly.

"Yes, we are" I said. He seemed a little disappointed but then let out a nervous laugh.

"I thought as much, but it never hurt to ask," he said. I allowed myself to laugh with him, he didn't seem like such a bad person, and Ricardo likes him too.

"I should be getting home," I said and turned to say goodbye to Ricardo.

"Let me walk you home," I looked towards him a little surprised by that. I slightly smiled and shook my head.

"That won't be necessary. Thanks anyway," He smiled back and let out a chuckle.

"I'll see you later then Azura," he said as he turned to walk away from the stables and down the road. I bid Ricardo one last farewell and turned to walk back into town and towards the Villa.

* * *

I walked through some streets back to the villa. Once I had reached the villa I saw that Ezio was standing there. He must have been waiting for me or something because once he saw me he met me halfway.

"Are you OK?" he asked me and I gave him a questioning look.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. He held onto my should and looked me in the eyes.

"I saw you speaking with that assistant from the blacksmith," he started and I looked at his horrified.

'_He was spying on me?_' I thought to myself and glared at him then, "were you spying on me?" I questioned. He was taken aback by that but shook his head.

"No, I was on my way to visit you but I heard him say something about you," he quickly defended.

"Go on," I said through clenched teeth.

"I just afraid that you were in trouble," he responded.

"Well I am fine, and I can take care of myself, I have done so before," I said as I shook him off of me and walked into the villa.

"Azura, I'm sorry," he called out as he tried to catch up to me.

"You don't trust me," I stated as I continued to walk up the stairs and to my room.

"I don't want you to be mad," he pleaded as he caught up to me. I reached my room and had my hand on the door knob.

"I'm not mad," I started and he seemed a little relieved at that, "I'm just disappointed," he sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again, please believe me," I stared into those beautiful golden eyes and saw nothing but sincerity in them and I gave him a small smile.

"Just try not to do it again," I said. I opened the door to my room and Ezio followed after. He quickly shut the door and grabbed me, lifting me up, and then threw me on the bed.

I was giggling as he started to kiss me all over and then crashed his lips on mine. The way he moved his lips against mine was sensational. The scar on the side of his mouth sent shivers down my body. I wrapped my arms around his back and he started to caress my waist as he moved his hand under my shirt. I broke away from the kiss and Ezio started to kiss my neck.

His hand the glided over my stomach and started to rub small circles there as he moved his lips down my neck on to my collar bone.

"Ezio," I moaned out his name and I felt him smile against my skin.

"Azura," his husky voice gave me Goosebumps as he continued his butterfly kisses along my collar bone. I started to feel nervous when his hands went to the strings of my vest and I pulled them away to stop him, "what's wrong?" he asked me as he looked into my eyes.

"Please-" and that was all I had managed to say. I felt so vulnerable like that and I hated it.

"I'll stop," he replied and I gave him a nervous smile, "you're beautiful when you act so vulnerable," he smirked and I glared at him which caused him to chuckle.

"You never deserved that kiss," I replied and it was my turn to smirk as he looked back at me shocked. He smiled then and let out a chuckle and I smiled along with him. His face turned serious then before speaking.

"We are going to be staying here for a while longer," he said as he grabbed my hands and massaged them with his thumbs.

"Why?" I asked.

"Uncle Mario is going to train me so I can better protect myself as well as my mother and sister," he explained and I nodded.

"Fair enough," I said. We sat there in silence before I said anything else, "the blacksmith offered me a job," Ezio looked towards me surprised, "if we are sticking around then I may as well take the job," I stated and he looked a little worried at that. "What?" I asked. He let out a sigh.

"Are you sure?" Ezio asked and I gave him a glare, "I'm just being cautious," he added.

"What did I just say before?" he chuckled and gave me a weak smile.

"I know, you do as you wish, I won't watch you like a hawk," he and I playfully tapped him on the nose.

"You just love to stalk me," I said and he laughed causing me to smile.

* * *

The rest of that day wasn't very eventful. After we all had our dinner we each went off to bed one by one. I had a chance to take a relaxing bath that night, unlike the night before. I used some of the shampoos and soaps that the maids provided. Once I was done I dried myself off and changed into a white night gown, much to my dismay, and got myself comfortable in my room.

I lay down on my bed and decided that I should draw something that night. I wasn't quite sure on what to draw so I just drew random things. I heard a knock on my door and I was about to get up and answer it but it opened anyway and Ezio walked in, closing the door behind him.

"You shouldn't just barge in you know," I stated and he just smirked, leaning down over me, placing both hands on either side of me on the bed. He leaned into my neck and took in breathed in my scent.

"You smell beautiful," he complimented and looked back up into my eyes, "it smells like lavender," he added. I blushed a little and he smirked at me seductively, "I love what you're wearing by the way," he said huskily and I blushed even harder.

"My other clothes are being washed and this was all they had left," I retorted shyly. His smirk grew wider and he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"I paid the maids to give that to you," My eyes widened as he started to kiss me along my neck.

"What?" I squeaked feeling too embarrassed to say anything else. He grabbed my now dry hair with his right hand and placed his left hand on my back. He leaned me back with my neck exposed and he started to lay wet kisses all over. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in as I breathed out a sigh in content.

"You like that?" he asked me. I couldn't form any words. He brought his lips to mine and pulled me in a passionate kiss. His left hand then grabbed my arse and I let out a gasp to which he plunged his tongue and started to fight for dominance.

Ezio laid me down on the bed, still with his lips locked on mine, and started to slide his right hand down my left thigh. He broke away from the kiss which game me a chance to catch my breath. I then witnessed Ezio take his shirt off and threw it to the side somewhere. He leaned back down and had both of his forearms on either side of my head.

I slid my hands along his abs, up his chest, then up along his back. I enjoyed toughing him like this, I liked the feeling, and he felt smooth. He watched my every movement carefully and flashed a smirk. I then ever so slightly lifted my left leg up and brushed it against his right side. I smiled shyly and he smirked seductively.

"Azura… your skin feels so soft," Ezio grabbed my left leg and moved his hand slowly down. I then closed my eyes and felt his hand travel down my leg, slip under my night gown, along my stomach, and then went to caress my-.

I moved Ezio's hand away quickly feeling embarrassed and scared. I sat up and moved away from him and covered myself with the bed sheets. Ezio looked towards me shocked but then realisation drew itself upon his features.

"Azura, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's OK. It's just me," I said as I quickly cut him off. He looked guilty for a moment and reached to me and pulled me into an embrace. "Don't feel guilty, I just need time, you understand right?" Ezio's grip on me tightened.

"Of course I understand. But I should be the one who needs to apologize," I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it," he kissed me on the forehead and rested his chin on top of my head.

"_Ti amo_," he whispered.

"I love you too," I whispered back. After a while we both decided that we needed some sleep. We got comfortable underneath the covers and he pulled me against his chest. I place my hands on his shoulders and closed my eyes. I hope that tomorrow will be a little better.

* * *

**Another chapter. Getting interesting now? Let me know what you think by posting a review.**

**As always, happy reading**

**-Midnight**


	10. Accusations

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**nightshadess**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

**Reviews are very much appreciated.**

* * *

**Accusations**

I felt the bed move early that morning and someone lifting the covers. Ezio sat up on the bed and picked up his shirt, placing it on, before getting out of the bed.

"Leaving so early?" I asked as I sat up and rubbed at my eyes. Ezio turned to look at me and then leaned down and gave me a soft kiss.

"I have to get up early to start training. I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered. I nodded in understanding.

"Have fun," I said playfully and he smirked before pushing himself up out of leaning position and walked out of the room.

As soon as the sun fully rose I got out of bed and got ready for the day. I brushed my hair, tied it back, had breakfast and then headed down to Amerigo's shop. The streets weren't that busy today, not that they ever seem to be, so it was somewhat quiet once I had reached the shop. I saw Amerigo gazing upon a sword cheerfully until I walked up to the front of the shop and then he turned his attention to me.

"Ah, Azura! Changed your mind then?" he asked as he still sat in his spot.

"Yeah, I have. I am going to be staying here for a while. May as well do something with my time here," I responded and he let out a laugh.

"Good on you. Here, I want you to strap some leather around the handle of this sword," he let me in through a side door and handed me the sword, "All the materials you need are in here. Have fun," he laughed as he went back to sharpening some other sword. I lightly laughed to myself, because I knew, that I was somewhat going to like it here.

I began working on whatever Amerigo had me do and would do each job perfectly. Although Amerigo would not admit it, I knew that he was impressed with my work, though he had a funny way of showing it.

While I worked on either forging a new dagger or mending some armour he would always try to seem dissatisfied with the way I do the work. However, when I finish, he would nod his head in approval. By the time we were finished I was slightly exhausted, not being used to working in at a blacksmith, but I did enjoy my time there. Amerigo handed me some money.

"Here you go, that's your pay for the day, don't go spending it all," he said as he let out a laugh, "You have talent Azura, you may even be better than me some day, but I doubt it," he said as he clapped his hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks I guess," I said as I rubbed my shoulder. I then just noticed something, "Hey, why isn't Arturo here? Isn't he your assistant or something," I asked and Amerigo had to calm himself down before answering.

"That kid? Not sure why he didn't show up today. He showed up last year begging for a job, not sure why, but I took him in anyway. He does alright, so I let him stay," Amerigo said coolly. I nodded in thought, "Well, see you tomorrow then," Amerigo said as he started to pack up the shop.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I said as I exited the shop. I headed toward the stables, deciding that I wanted to see Ricardo, and that I really love that horse. Once I made it to the stables I saw Ricardo sticking his head out and whinnying when he saw me. "Hey buddy," I said, patting him on the side of his neck.

As I started to pat him I noticed that there was new saddler gear sitting on Ricardo's stall. I went to inspect the gear, seeing a black saddle and bridle as well as a brown saddle cloth.

"That is for you to keep," I heard someone say. I turned around and saw Arturo as he made his way over to me. He gave me a pleasant smile and I returned it.

"This is for me?" I asked and he nodded.

"I thought that you could use it. Do you like it?" he asked me. I nodded my head and his smile grew slightly.

"I think it is great, I can take Ricardo out for a ride now, he won't have to stay cooped up in this stall," Ricardo let out a neigh in agreement, "but why would you buy it for me?" I asked. He shrugged in response.

"I guess I felt compelled to help you out," he said as he moved towards Ricardo and gave him a pat.

"Or are you just trying to impress me by buying me expensive things," I laughed and he only smirked at that.

"Are you impressed?" he asked in a husky tone. I just laughed and he gave me a confused look.

"Not in the slightest," I said. He just smiled and continued to pat Ricardo. After a while he suddenly spoke.

"So how about I watch you ride Ricardo?" he asked and I gave him a confused look.

"Why?" I responded.

"Why not?" he asked back. I wasn't sure why, but I felt comfortable around Arturo, it feels like some kind of friendship that I had with Valeria.

"OK then," I finally said. He smiled and he both got Ricardo saddled up and out of the stables. We walked him out onto the road and I made sure that the saddle wouldn't slip, "how far do you want to see me ride him?" I asked. He sort of shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't have any preferences," He replied. I thought for a moment before answering.

"Do you live outside of Monteriggioni?" I asked him.

"Yeah actually, why do you ask?" he responded.

"How about Ricardo and I walk with you back to your house. I find it interesting that you live outside of the walls rather than inside," he let out a chuckle before replying.

"Very well then. It would be nice to have some company on the walk home," I smiled. Once I was sure that everything was OK with the saddle I put my foot in the stirrup and hauled myself onto the saddle. I sat down and felt quite comfortable while sitting on Ricardo. I gave him a pat and urged him on, with Arturo walking beside on foot.

"I was impressed on how you managed to make that sheath for the dagger in less than one day," Arturo complimented.

"That was nothing really," I replied.

"I must say, that dagger is very unique," he added. I gave him a questioning gaze.

"How so?" I asked.

"It is a very unique design. I have only seen one other dagger quite like it," he continued which got my curiosity going.

"Really? What did this other dagger look like?" I asked. Arturo paused for a moment before answering.

"I can't exactly remember… although I do remember it having a horse decorated as the hilt of the dagger," he explained. I thought to myself about some things for a moment but I pressed them aside as it was something that I will have to deal with at another time. After another minute or so we reached a small house that wasn't too far along the road, "Here we are," Arturo said and I dismounted Ricardo.

It was a lovely looking house. It was roughly the same size as the one back in _Firenze_, but a little bigger, and it reminded me of the painting that I used to look at.

"It looks lovely," I complimented, turning towards Arturo as he gave me a small smile.

"Thank you for taking a walk with me. Even though it was short it is certainly nice to have company," I smiled politely.

"Thank you for the saddle," I replied.

"I'll see you some other time then?" Arturo and I nodded. He smiled and then walked over to the front door of his house. I got back on Ricardo, deciding that I wanted to keep going for a little longer, so I headed further down the road.

It was a nice view; along there was farmland and small house that were placed here and there along the road. Ricardo was happily walking along and I gave him a pat on his neck for doing a good job. I looked out beyond and saw a small forest.

'_I wonder what is out there_,' I thought to myself, "Do you want to go for a bit of a run boy?" I asked Ricardo and he gave me a slight nicker, "Let's go then," I pulled Ricardo off the road and had him heading in the direction of the small cluster of trees. I then urged him into a canter which we happily did and we were soon racing off.

* * *

The feeling of the wind in my hair was great, although we weren't running at top speed, it still loved the rush. Soon enough we reached the forest and I dismounted Ricardo and led him through the trees. It was cool amongst the trees as the canopy shaded the area all around. What was really mesmerising was that there was a small pond in the middle. I slung the reins over Ricardo's neck and kneeled down to feel the water. It was fresh and cool, even Ricardo bent his neck down and took a drink, and that made me smile.

"It's beautiful here isn't it Ricardo?" I asked my companion. He lifted his head and nudged me with his nose. I gave him a pat and sat down with my arms resting on my knees. I stayed there for a while as Ricardo rested next to me. I was there for a long while enjoying the peace that I hadn't noticed that the sun was going down, "We have to go now boy," I said. I mounted Ricardo and we sped off back to the stables.

I said goodbye to Ricardo and headed towards the villa. By this time the sun was almost fully set, and unsurprisingly, Ezio was outside waiting for me. I saw relief wash over his features as he strode towards me.

"I was wondering where you were," He said as he pulled me into an embrace.

"Really, I couldn't have possibly guessed," I joked and he let out a chuckle.

"My mother and sister have been housed in a nearby convent," he told me and I simply nodded, "You can have the larger room if you wish," Ezio suggested and I gave him a smirk.

"You mean _you_ wish for me to have the larger room," he averted his eyes away from me.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I laughed and he just gave me a smirk.

The rest of that afternoon was filled with a warm meal and refreshing baths. I tried different soaps this time, rose scented, and dried myself off and dressed myself in that nightgown that Ezio seemed to like. I got comfortable in my new room, I checked through my satchel and everything seemed to be present, I then placed it on the bedside table. Ezio then walked into the room and just crashed on the bed.

"Don't you have your own room?" I asked and he only mumbled incoherently, "Are you tired from training today?" I asked with a smirk but he didn't respond to that. I blew out all the candles in the room and then pulled the covers up so I could get into bed. Once I was comfortable I felt Ezio's arm wrap around my waist and he pulled me closer so that my back was to his chest.

"How was your day?" I heard him mumble against my hair.

"It was nice, I took Ricardo out for a ride, how was yours?" I questioned back.

"Sore," I smiled slightly. I turned around towards him and placed my hands on his shoulders and I stared to rub them. He let out a soft moan and I gave him a small kiss, "I'm so glad that I met you," he mumbled. A thought crossed my mind before I spoke again.

"What would you do if I wasn't around anymore?" I whispered.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I mean what would you do if I left," I was afraid of what he was going to stay and regretted asking that question. He wrapped both arms around me.

"I don't know what I would do without you," he started to weave his fingers through my hair, "I would go to the ends of the Earth just to be with you," I then felt very sad. I knew I would have to leave him one day but it broke my heart hearing him say that.

"I'll stay right here then," I lied. Sleep soon took over me and I happily embraced it. I just wanted tomorrow to come around fast.

* * *

"_Just let me see it," I pleaded towards Aeron as he gave me a sad look, "please, I need to see, I need to know what it looks like," he was holding me in place with his hands upon my shoulders._

"_I can't Lyra… I just can't," he spoke softly. Tears threatened to fall down my face but I held it in._

"_Why are you doing this to me? I just want to die. Let me know what that dagger looks like," I screamed and Aeron tried to calm me down._

"_I don't want to lose you. You have been with me for a short time and look at what you have done for me already. I know it sounds greedy but I don't know what I would do without you," he hushed and clamed me down a little as he caressed my cheek with his hand._

"_I just don't want to have the feeling of being alone again," I whispered. Aeron then looked at me sadly for a moment but then an expression that I have never seen him make spread across his features._

"_Wait here," he said as he walked into the bedroom. He came out a short while later and stood in front of me. I was then slightly confused as he kneeled down in front of me, "Lyra…" he started as he held out a ring in front of me, "… will you marry me?" I stood there frozen for I wasn't sure what to say, though I replied in delight anyway._

"_I will," I barely whispered but he heard me anyway. He smiled widely and stood up, placing a beautiful sapphire ring on my finger._

"_I love you," Aeron said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. He gave me a passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. Once we broke away I felt absolutely delighted._

"_I love you too Aeron," he then picked me up bridal style and carried me to the bedroom._

* * *

I felt someone lean down and kiss me on my left temple. I looked up and saw Ezio and I smiled. He smiled back and got out of bed, getting ready for his training for the day, and then he walked out the door and closed it silently behind him. I tried to get some more rest before I had to get up again.

Once I was ready for the day I headed into town to Amerigo's shop. I entered the shop and saw him hammering away at something he was trying to forge.

"Morning Azura," he said without looking at me, "we have a lot to do today so I hope you're ready," he warned.

"I'm always ready," I smirked.

"Good," soon after he started to give me a whole load of jobs that I got into straight away. I was in the storage working on another sheath for a dagger when I heard the door to the exit of the shop open up and in walked Arturo.

"You're here!" I stated and he just smirked.

"Wouldn't want you doing all the work by yourself," he replied and got ready for work.

"And where the hell were you yesterday?" we both turned to see Amerigo standing in the other door way. His whole frame was blocking the way and he glared down at Arturo, "You do realize you left Azura and me to do all of the work yesterday," he stated.

"I… Uh… Slept in," Arturo sheepishly chuckled and Amerigo shook his head and turned away. Arturo then let out a sigh of relief and turned back to me, "It's great that you're here," Arturo said as he pick up a sword from a bench and went to a grindstone to sharpen it. I smiled and got back to my work.

Today was better than the last, though I wasn't sure why, maybe because I had Arturo to talk to. He is a really nice guy and very amusing that I quickly came to trust. Although he would try and flirt with me here and there, it was all for fun, we would end up laughing about it like a joke.

"Alright then, see you two tomorrow," Amerigo shouted out after he had paid us both for the day. I followed Arturo out towards the stable where we greeted Ricardo who was eagerly waiting for me.

"Hey boy, how are you today?" I asked as I started to pat the wonderful animal. Ricardo leant his head towards my chest and rested it there.

"He sure seems to like you," Arturo complimented as he started to pat the side of his neck, "Where did you get him?" he then asked.

"I actually found him all alone a few days ago," I replied, "He must have belonged to someone because he was in a corral," I added and Arturo shook his head.

"Why would anyone leave such a magnificent horse behind?" he questioned as he continued to pat the animal. After a while Arturo decided that he should be heading home.

"I'll walk with you again," I suggested.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he gave me an uncertain look.

"I'll take Ricardo out for a ride," I added. He hesitantly agreed and I was a little bit suspicious at first but I let it slide. I quickly saddled up Ricardo and got in the saddle. Soon we were out on the path and walking towards Arturo's house.

"Hey Azura," he started and I looked towards him with full attention, "can you trust the people that you are with?" he asked and I gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He hesitated before speaking again.

"I mean that guy, Ezio, can you trust him?" he asked. I looked towards him, horrified that he asked such a question, but before replying I paused. Do I really trust him?

"I trust him," I replied and Arturo nodded. We then reached Arturo's house and I dismounted Ricardo, "But why would you ask such a question?" I looked towards him confused and I saw something in his eyes that I couldn't quite make out as to what it was.

"Just a question that popped into my head, I guess I got a little curious, sorry if that was a bit too pushy of a question," He said as he nervously chuckled. I wasn't too convinced but I let it slide, I didn't want to ask personal questions, especially with Arturo since he has been the only real friend I have had since Valeria, "I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked finally.

"Sure," I smiled and he smiled back. He walked towards the front door of his house and I mounted Ricardo again and rode back towards the stables.

* * *

I left Ricardo after saying goodbye and headed back up towards the villa and by this time the sun was starting to set. Surprisingly enough Ezio wasn't there waiting for me and I felt relieved at that thinking that he was too busy which gave me enough room to breathe. I walked up the stairs and headed towards my room. I opened the door to find Ezio sitting on the bed and taking off his boots until he noticed me and smiled.

"Busy day today?" I asked as I entered the room and closed the door behind.

"Yeah," Ezio replied as he took of his finally boot. I sat on the bed behind him and reached up to start and massage his shoulders. He leaned his head to one side as he groaned in pain, "it hurts everywhere," I laughed a little and he looked back at me with a glare.

"You must be training very hard then," I went back to massaging his shoulders and he let out a slight smile.

"All the more worthwhile when I get to come back to you each night," he mumbled. I smiled and leant down and rubbed my cheek against his. He turned towards me and brought me into a short kiss. There was then a knock on the door and Ezio got up to answer it and on the other side of the door was Mario.

"Ezio! I need to speak with you for a moment," he spoke in delight and Ezio nodded and turned towards me.

"I'll me back in a moment," Ezio then walked out the door with Mario and I headed to the door and watched them walk down the stairs and towards Mario's study.

I then decided that I should draw something while I wait and so I rummaged through my satchel and pulled out my sketch book, however, I noticed that something was missing. I pulled out my three on archaeology that I carry with me, and then I pulled out the dagger that was in its sheath, and finally I pulled out all of my writing utensils and a notepad. My eyes widened in fear when I couldn't find the journal.

'_Fuck!_' I thought and then I started to look around the side table just in case it fell out, '_Fuck_!' I couldn't find it there. I started to search all around the room just in case, _'Fuck where is that fucking thing,_' but I didn't need to dwell on that though any longer as I knew what had happened to it,'_Mario,_' I thought as I left the room and walked down the stairs and headed for the study.

I carefully made my way down towards the study and I peeked around a corner and saw Mario discussing something with Ezio.

"You have nothing to fear Ezio, I'll keep the journal safe here, Azura won't be harmed I can promise you that," Mario rested a hand on Ezio shoulder.

"I feel like I am lying to her," Ezio commented.

"Sometimes we have to lie to protect the ones we love," Mario said, "I am surprised that she has managed this far while holding the journal," Mario added. I started to seethe with anger and pulled myself away from the corner and rested against the wall.

'_How could you Ezio?_' I thought. Well, there was no way I was going to get that journal back at the moment, so for the time being I quickly made my way back towards the room and acted like nothing had happened.

* * *

I sat in the room and started to draw something when I heard Ezio walk into the room, close the door, and sat on the bed next to me. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and started to play around with my hair. I made every effort to ignore him because I was really pissed at that moment.

"That's a beautiful drawing," he commented as he looked down at my sketch. I think it was of a flower but I didn't really care at the time. I needed to show my disappointment without actually saying that I was eavesdropping in on their conversation. I then thought of something as I smiled sweetly and turned towards him.

"Do you think you could get my other book out of my satchel," I innocently asked and he gave me a look of irritation.

"Your satchel is right next to you," he stated. I continued to smile sweetly at him.

"Please? I though you would do anything for me," Ezio let out a sigh as he got up and moved towards the satchel. I moved towards the other side of the bed and kept on drawing as he rummaged through the satchel.

"What kind of book am I looking for _amore_?" he asked.

"I'll let you know when you find it," he let out a sigh and pulled out an archaeology book. He held it up and I shook my head. He then pulled out the other one and held it up, to which I shook my head again, and the same thing happened over and over as he pulled each book out of the satchel.

"But that is all of them," I shook my head and he gave me a confused look.

"That isn't all of them," I replied.

"Azura, I just searched through the whole satchel, those were all of the books," he stated and I glared at him.

"Are you sure?" I countered as I raised my voice slightly. He shook his head.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I think you know very well what I am talking about. Does a journal ring any bells?" a look of realization took itself upon his features and Ezio looked fearful for a moment.

"Azura… I-" I quickly cut him off as I jumped off of the bed and strode towards him.

"How could you do that," I practically started shouting at this point, "that was my journal and you had no right to take it. You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get this far - you know what - I don't even care anymore, keep the stupid journal," I grabbed my satchel and started to shove everything in.

"What are you doing?" he questioned as I slung the satchel over my shoulder.

"I'm leaving," I plainly stated. I started to head for the door but felt Ezio's hand grab my wrist. I glared at him and then down at his hand, "Let go," I growled but he pleadingly started into my eyes.

"Don't go," he begged. I saw so many emotions in his eyes and a small part of me wanted to reconsider, "I'll speak to Mario about this. We'll work something out," he enclosed both of his hand over mine as he tried to beg me to stay.

"How can I trust you after what you just did?" I asked. He couldn't form any words as he continued to plead with me through his eyes, "I mean I want to trust you, I really do, but why would you steal form me like that?" I asked.

"I just wanted to keep you safe," he then grabbed my other hand but still kept looking into my eyes.

"By stealing from me?" I questioned.

"A lot of dangerous people are after that journal," I instantly then remember on what Valeria used to say to me and then I instantly started to regret my actions. I let out a sigh and shook my head.

"I'm sorry, I was just so angry that you went behind my back, I didn't mean any of that," he pulled me into an embrace and rested his chin on top of my head.

"I will speak to Mario about it. I will sort everything out I promise," I nodded my head.

* * *

After dinner Ezio talked over some things with Mario. I couldn't get the journal back but he said I am more than welcome to help work on unlocking its secrets which I was happy to hear. All was forgiven though and we all retired for the night after having a big day.

After a bath I dressed into the nightgown and got ready for bed. Ezio was on the bed shirtless and was waiting for me to crawl into the bed beside him. He had one arm behind his head and the other placed across his stomach. He smirked at me and I smiled as I blew out all of the candles but the one on the bedside table.

I then lay myself down on the side of the bed that was furthest away from Ezio and I could only imagine the disappointment on his face. I then felt him move closer to me and he slid one hand along my arm, over my waist, and over my stomach as he started to caress that area.

After a while he moved my hair out of the way to expose my neck. He started to lightly kiss along my neck which sent a shiver up my spine. He let out a chuckle as he moved his hand to my hip and then down my leg.

"I have already forgiven you there is no need to do this," I said as I turned toward him and tried to push him off of me.

"I know," he spoke in a husky tone. Ezio grabbed my wrists and then pinned them above my head, "I just want you," he smirked as he leant down and started to kiss me passionately, gaining dominance over me. My legs sat in between his and I slowly moved my right leg and wrapped it around his left one. He smiled into the kiss and started to caress my leg.

"What are you thinking right now?" I asked after he broke away from the kiss.

"I'm thinking about how much I need you right now," Ezio started to kiss my collar bone and I contemplated on his words.

"And how much is that?" I asked shyly.

"More than I can even think about right now," he mumbled against my skin and continued to kiss me. I ran my hands along his back and up towards his shoulders. I arched my back to lean into him just to feel closer. He started to then kiss slowly down my shoulder and lightly bit into it making me let out a gasp. He chuckled as he leaned away and softly held my cheek.

"We should get some sleep," I suggested and he seemed a little disappointed but he rolled off of me none the less. I blew out the last candle and then felt his arms wrap around me and pull me closer.

"Goodnight," I said.

"Goodnight," Ezio mumbled back.


	11. My Eagle

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**nightshadess**

**LucDeep**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

**Reviews are very much appreciated.**

* * *

**My Eagle**

A few months had passed and I continued to live with the Auditores and kept on working at Amerigo's blacksmith shop. Although I had, on more than one occasion thought about stealing the journal back, I refrained from doing so.

I soon came to realise that Mario didn't shun me like most other people did before, he actually embraced my help. He certainly wasn't all too prideful, unlike me, but he was ok with it. I came to grow close to Mario, he was like the father I never had, and that meant a lot to me.

Ezio's training had become more arduous, which made him train all the more extensively, and he told me one night that he wanted to improve to be able to protect his family and me.

One day when I had walked into the bedroom after coming back from work, I saw Ezio lying on the bed, face on the pillow, and I couldn't help but laugh, for he was still in his armour. I went to wake him up, but he suddenly sprung forth and grabbed me, throwing me on the bed with his hidden blade out.

I was a little unprepared at that, seeing as how he moved so fast, but I wasn't scared. Ezio soon realised it was me and apologized profusely over and over. I laughed about it and told him not to worry, which made him worry even more, and he swore that he would never do that again.

Ricardo is growing stronger every day and I have started taking him on longer rides. Ezio sometimes tags along with one of Mario's horses, but he is usually training and often doesn't have the time, Ricardo likes it better when he isn't around though.

I started to work at Amerigo's blacksmith shop less and less as I had been too busy working on the journal with Mario. Amerigo didn't seem to mind, he managed without me before, but he mentioned that the extra help never hurt. He also stated one day that he didn't have to pay me as much either and let out a hearty laugh.

Arturo, however, didn't see the sunny side to it at all. He had not been speaking to me as much anymore and when I would try and talk to him, he would either reply with a few small words, or not speak at all. I wanted to know what was wrong with him but Amerigo said don't worry about it.

* * *

On a day, somewhere in October, I woke up to find that Ezio was still in bed with me. I smiled but then started to frown a bit as I leant over Ezio and shook him awake. He stirred and then opened his eyes, smiling as he looked up at me, moving his hand to caress my cheek.

"What is wrong _amore mio_?" I removed his hand, my hair fanned over his face and he took in the scent.

"Shouldn't you be training right about now?" I asked him. Ezio only chuckled in response.

"I told you last night that I have a day off today. You don't remember?" He asked and I sat back down thinking about last night. I was really tired last night and I could remember much, "I have something special planned today," he continued as he sat up next to me.

"Really?" Ezio nodded and I turned towards him, "Like what?" I placed my hands on his shoulders as I asked the question, staring deeply into his eyes, he grinned and wrapped his hands around my shoulders and leaned into my ear.

"That is something you'll have to find out later on," Ezio whispered mischievously and I smirked.

"Now I am curious," I replied.

"Curiosity killed the cat you know," he purred. I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought him closer.

"You wouldn't kill me now, would you Ezio?" I whispered. The smirk on his face disappeared quickly and I looked at him with a confused expression, "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I would never hurt you. You know that right?" Ezio stared at me with his beautiful golden eyes and I felt myself melt under his gaze.

"I know," He smiled and kissed me slightly. We stayed in bed for an hour or so, Ezio said that he wanted to wait for a while longer before sharing the special plans with me, so I instead gave him a massage which he greatly appreciated. He wanted to return the favour by giving me one, and he was good, I was so relaxed under his care that I didn't realise the time flying by.

* * *

After that I got dressed for the day. Ezio insisted that I wear a blue dress he had bought for me. I protested, saying that I was never the one to wear dresses, but he kept on insisting that I wear the dress so I obliged anyway.

It was a very pretty dress though, and had very intricate designs, and the collar came down low but not too low. The sleeves were loose and the dress wasn't too puffed up. I actually quite like it and it went pleasantly with the necklace. I exited the room and saw that Ezio was also dressed nicely. He looked to be at a loss of words when I stepped out of the room but he soon found them again.

"You look beautiful," he complimented and I curtsied slightly while smiling brightly.

"You were the one who told me to wear this," I replied.

"And it suits you just fine," he reached out his hand for me to take, in which I gladly accepted, and he started to lead the way.

"And where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"A little walk through the gardens. Would you like that?" he asked as he looked my way.

"I would like that very much," I responded. We headed through the back way of the villa towards the gardens. The garden wasn't that great to look at, but it was nice to just take a walk, especially since Ezio was with me since we hardly spent a lot of time with each other since coming to Monteriggioni.

"It is lovely weather today isn't it?" he suddenly said. It was a pleasant day. The sky was blue and the breeze was cool.

"It is," I agreed. Ezio walked me over to a bench and we both sat down. I gave him a questioning look, "did you really bring mw out here just to sit?" I asked.

"No. I just thought we could sit and talk for a bit," he responded.

"Don't tell me this is you _special plans_ for the day," I mocked and he only chuckled.

"That will come later. Right now I want to get to know you better. I want to know more about you," Ezio said as he grabbed my hands and stared into my eyes. I smiled, he has certainly seemed to mature over the month, and it is not a bad thing.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"What is your favourite season of the year?" he asked.

"Spring," I responded.

"Why Spring?" he questioned.

"It is a beautiful time of year. What's yours?" I retorted.

"Winter… I find it is best spent with someone else," he said rather seductively as he gave me his usual stare. I shouldn't have thought that he had matured at all.

"You mean spent best with someone… in bed," I countered and we both laughed, "Ok it is my turn now… If you were reincarnated as an animal, what would it be?"

"That's a funny question," I then gave him a serious look and then he started to think for an answer, "I guess I would want to be reincarnated as an eagle," he responded.

"Why an eagle?" I asked.

"I don't know, I guess they get to fly, I wonder what that would be like," he said as he drifted off in thought, eyes downcast, but he brought himself back to reality once his eyes met with mine, "What about you?" I thought for a moment before answering.

"A dragon," I replied.

"Dragons don't exist," Ezio chuckled.

"I never said the animal had to exist. Besides, I bet you have never seen a dragon, so how can you know they do not exist?" I countered. He was about to say something but then stopped himself and thought for a moment before responding.

"I guess I don't," I smiled in triumph, "but why a dragon?"

"They are said to be powerful creatures… unafraid of anything," I replied. He rubbed his hands against mine.

"What makes you afraid?" I couldn't answer this question. I didn't want to answer this question.

'_What makes me afraid?_' I wasn't quite sure of the answer myself, "Not knowing," I responded, nearly whispering, hoping that Ezio did not hear.

"Not knowing what?" I cursed myself for letting him hear me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes. There was a certain something in them. Care? Compassion? I wasn't sure, "I won't ask any further Ok?" I nodded my head and he smiled.

The rest of that conversation was quite pleasant. He asked me anything and everything and I got to know more about him as well. Underneath all his flirting, he actually was very respectful, and during that conversation I was falling for him more and more.

I hated myself for it. I knew that this wouldn't last, I would have to leave him one day, and I didn't want him to be tied down to me for the rest of his life. However, despite all of that, a part of me wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. Being with Ezio gave me the feeling that I hadn't had in a long time. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted to feel loved again.

"Come on, I want to show you something," after an hour Ezio finished the conversation and stood from the bench and held out his hand to me.

"We're we going?" I asked as I held his hand. He helped me up from the bench and started to lead me away from the garden.

"You'll see," was Ezio's response. My curiosity grew to the maximum as he led me all the way to the stables. I saw that the horse that Ezio often uses and Ricardo were saddle up and ready to go for a ride.

"What is this?" I asked. Ezio led me over to Ricardo and helped me up. He then mounted his horse and winked at me.

"You'll see," he said and urged his horse on as I followed. We rode on for a while, leaving Monteriggioni and heading to the countryside. The hill lands were very beautiful and the scenery was miraculous. After a few minutes Ezio led us over a hill, what I saw over the hill, it took my breath away.

All around there were wild lavenders, which happen to be my favourite flower, and they were in different shades of purple. There was a creek nearby which was running swiftly and the sound coming from all around was peaceful.

I dismounted Ricardo and Ezio dismounted his horse. He started to unpack some things but I was too busy smelling all of the flowers and testing the water. Ricardo bent his head down and started to drink and I patted his neck before getting back up and walking over to Ezio.

When I turned back, I saw that Ezio had set up a picnic on one of the bare patches were the flowers don't grow. It took me by surprise and I didn't know what to say. Ezio took my hand and sat me down on the blanket and he took a seat next to me.

"You love it don't you?" Ezio asked and I smiled radiantly as I looked around.

"How could you possibly tell?" I mocked. He started to laugh and I joined him.

"I found it one day and I knew I had to bring you here. I'm glad you like it," he said as he started pulling out some food. Again, I wasn't paying much attention; I continued to look around, "Azura?" I heard Ezio say and I turned towards him.

"Yes?" I replied. He let out a chuckle and I looked at him confused.

"You didn't hear me did you?" Ezio continued to chuckle and I looked away in embarrassment.

"What did you say then?" Ezio calmed himself down before answering.

"I just said I hope you like the food," was all he said. I nodded and took a bite out of some of the food. It was quite delicious. There were some strawberries, grapes, and a few sandwiches. It was quite delicious.

"It is very nice," I commented and Ezio gave me a warm smile.

"Are you having a nice day?" he asked suddenly and I had to quickly swallow the food I had in my mouth.

"Yes very much so," I replied. He smiled a little and then looked off to the side nervously, "What's wrong?" I asked and he turned to look at me a.

"Nothing," he said as he lay down on his back and looked up at the sky. I leaned over him as my hair fanned around his face.

"You're hiding something," I stated. He gave me a smirk and reached up to touch my cheek.

"I'm not hiding anything," he replied as I leaned into his touch.

"I know you're lying," I continued, "what is it?" I asked. Ezio let out a sigh as he sat back up on his knees.

"Azura…" he started as he took my hands in both of his, "I… I have to ask you something," he said rather nervously.

"Then ask me, don't be nervous about it, I thought we had gotten past that point since the day we met," I giggled and he nervously laughed as I remember his failed attempt at trying to flirt with me.

"_Si_, you're right, I'll just say it," he took a deep breath before continuing, "Azura…" he finally said as I saw him produced a small box from one of his pockets.

'_Wait, no,_' I thought, unable to form any words.

"I have known you for a while now, although it has been a short while, I feel it has been for an eternity," he spoke.

'_Do I want this? I'm not sure if I am quite ready,_' I thought frantically.

"I have never met anyone quite like you. You're beautiful, intelligent, kind. I can't think of a life without you," he continued.

'_I should be ready, right? No, I am ready, I have said so myself. I am tired of being alone. I want to be loved,_' I was ready, as soon as Ezio had finished speaking, I was ready. It nearly took my breath away when he opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

"Azura… You would be making me the happiest man alive… if you will have me… will you marry me?" I covered my mouth with both of my hands as I held in the sobs. Tears of joy streamed down my face and I couldn't believe what was happening. But then…

'_What about Aeron? I feel like I am betraying him,_' I sat there frozen, not really sure what to say after that thought had crossed my mind. Ezio had a concerned look on his face, and a hint of fear.

"Azura? Are you ok?" he asked.

'_No. I want to be happy. _That's_ what he would have wanted to,_' I nodded my head. I wanted to say something, but the words weren't forming, I looked like a mess.

"You don't have to give me an answer if you don't want to," he whispered as he was about to put the ring away.

"Yes," I suddenly burst out, grabbing his hands, preventing him from putting the ring away.

"What?" he asked as he didn't really understand what I had just said.

"Yes Ezio… I will marry you," I managed to say, wiping away the tears. A look of relief washed over Ezio's face, which was quickly replaced with excitement, as he picked me up in his arms and stood. He spun me around in circles and I was filled with joy, laughing uncontrollably, he placed me back down and crashed his lips down on mine.

The kiss he gave me was like no other kiss Ezio had given me before. So much emotion fuelled that kiss. He held me close and didn't seem like he was going to let go, and I didn't want him to, I wanted to stay in his strong and protective arms forever. Never again did I want to be alone. And I loved Ezio so much. Because I trust him.

We finally broke away from the kiss and Ezio stared deeply into my eyes. I stared back into his beautiful gold ones. My eagle.

"I'll make you happy for the rest of your life Azura. I promise you that you won't have to feel afraid of anything any longer," Ezio declared as he brushed a few strands of hair out of my face. He grabbed the ring which was lying on the blanket and he placed it on my finger. I stared at it in amazement. "It was my mother's," he stated simply and I felt weird for wearing it.

"Ezio, I couldn't possibly wear this, I can't," I said as I panicked a little. He hushed me, placing a hand on my cheek, calming me down.

"She wants you to have it… I want you to have it," he stated softly. I was surprised to know that his mother, poor Maria, wanted me to wear her ring, "It made her very happy to know that you will be the one wearing it," he added.

"Tell her I said thank you," I replied.

"You can tell her yourself when you see her again. You are a part of this family now," I let out a small laugh.

'_I'm an Auditore now?_' I smiled. I actually belong somewhere.

* * *

After a while we packed up and headed back to the villa. Mario was pleased to hear the news from Ezio and stated that I would make a great wife. The rest of the day seemed to go by so fast. I had fun none the less and felt somewhat tired by the end of the day.

I was in my room getting ready for my bath. I heard the door open and saw Ezio enter and close the door. I smiled as he walked towards me and pulled me in and held me close.

"Are you going to take a bath now?" Ezio asked and I nodded, "want me to join you?" he whispered seductively in my ear and sent shivers down my spine. I pushed him away slightly and he frowned at that.

"Just… let me take one by myself… Ok?" I asked shyly and he smiled and nodded. I then quickly rushed to the other room to hide my embarrassment.

I felt the water in the bath tub and it was nice and warm. I added some scented oils to the bath, took off my bath robe, and lowered myself into the bath. I relaxed myself and lathered the soap all over me. I admit that I felt nervous somewhat, I hadn't been with a man for a long while, but I wasn't scared. I trusted Ezio completely and I knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

After a short while I got out of the bath and dried myself off completely. I dressed myself in the night gown that Ezio loves and walked out of the room. When I entered the bedroom Ezio was on the bed, though it was funny, because he was reading one of my books. He looked towards me and shoved the book aside.

"And what exactly are you doing?" I asked.

"Passing the time. I don't understand how you can read those books," he stated as he got up from the bed.

"I like learning," I stated simply. He walked up to me and pulled me in and took in my scent.

"I love the way you smell," he stated.

"I know," I simply said, "Now it's you turn for a bath," He groaned a little and I demanded that he take a bath.

I waited in the bedroom for Ezio to finish his bath. I read through the book that Ezio had been reading before. I had a very limited amount of books and I thought to myself that I should and ask Mario if I could go through his library so I can read some more.

My train of though was cut off when I heard Ezio exit the other room. He was shirtless but was wearing some pants. He closed the door behind him and he smiled at me as he saw me sitting on the bed. I smiled back and continued to read, not noticing that he had made his way to the bed and was crawling towards me.

Once he was near me he removed the book from my hands and placed it on the bedside table. Once that was out of the way he started to kiss me, his tongue asking for entrance, which I happily obliged. I was nearly out of breath until Ezio broke the kiss and I started to breathe heavily to gain some air.

Ezio continued to trail his kisses down my neck and I wrapped my fingers through his hair. I felt his hands run along my arms and then down my legs. I ran my hands down his back and the along his stomach as I heard him moan.

"Azura…" he nuzzled my neck and I sighed. I moved myself down so I was lying with my back flat on the bed and Ezio above me. He continued to kiss me again after I had gained some of my breath back. All the while I felt him move his hands along my stomach and down below my hips and on my upper thigh until he found the end of the gown.

He then ran his right hand up my night gown and started to rub small circles on my stomach. I loved the way his hands felt; they were somewhat rough, but comforting at the same time. I broke the kiss as I needed some air and I looked up at Ezio whom was looking back down at me.

"You are so beautiful_ amore mio_," he breathed huskily and I smiled and placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed slightly, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to," he spoke softly.

"I'm not a virgin Ezio," I stated plainly.

"What?" he asked dubiously.

"I have told you before that I haven't been with another man in a while. I was just afraid of getting hurt," I told him and I saw caring and compassion in his eyes.

"I would never hurt you," Ezio declared.

"I know. I trust you," I responded and he kissed me then, "Be gentle, but don't be afraid to do anything, I know you won't hurt me," he nodded as he continued.

His hand travelled further along my stomach until he reached my bra. I sighed in content as he started to massage my breasts through the fabric. Ezio then tugged at my night gown and I helped him remove it. He then laid me back down and started to kiss down my neck, along my collar bone, and above my breasts.

I moved my legs and wrapped them around Ezio's hips, feeling his member through the fabric of his pants, I felt embarrassed at that moment but I felt Ezio smirk against my skin. Soon I felt Ezio starting to remove my bra but he stopped and looked down at me and I urged him on and he smiled.

My breasts became free from their bounds after Ezio had removed my bra. He tossed it aside and looked down at me. Ezio brought his lips down on one of my breast and started to kiss it as he massaged the other one. It was pure bliss as I felt his mouth one on and his hand on the other, switching it up after a while.

He stopped and looked down at me, I was panting, and he loved it. He linked his fingers through mine and brought my hands down above me as he brought his lips down on mine for one last time. Ezio then started to rock his hips against mine. This whole thing was a sensation that I haven't experienced in a while. I started to move my hips with his and he smiled against my lips.

He sat up and started to undo his pants. I started to feel a little nervous. I hadn't seen one in a while. As soon as Ezio removed his pants and tossed them to the side, I started to blush madly; I looked away and heard Ezio chuckle.

"Don't be embarrassed," he grabbed my chin and turned my head so I could look at him. He then smiled and started to remove my underwear. After tossing that to the side I lay fully exposed in front of him. Ezio bent down to kiss me and then gave me a serious look, "Are you sure?" was all he said and I nodded.

"I want to be yours," I whispered.

"Your already mine," he caressed my cheek and I smiled.

He positioned himself and he entered slowly. It was a strange feeling, one that I hadn't experience in a long time, but it was pleasant none the less. I held on to Ezio as he started to move himself in and out. Soon enough I kept up with his rhythm, slow and steady at first, but then he picked up the pace after I urged him on.

Our breathing became heavy after a while. He would moan my name, but I was a little more vocal, I nearly shouted his name. I wasn't loud though but I was louder than Ezio. After one final thrust Ezio released himself inside of me. He rolled off of me but held me close. He kissed me on my forehead and I smiled.

"_Ti amo_," he breathed.

"I love you too," I replied. We then fell asleep in each other's arms as the final candles died out.

* * *

**Hey guys. Sorry this took longer than expected to post. I had University on and all and I just had mid-semester exams on.**

**Well, that was rather interesting to write. If you have any thoughts or feelings leave a review as it is very much appreciated. I want to see if I can get a better cover picture for this story.**

**if there are any artsy people out there feel free to send in any fan art because that would be cool and I could put it up as a new cover picture for the story.**

**Anyway guys, happy reading.**

**-Midnight**


	12. The Truth: Part 1

**Thank you to the following people for your review's:**

**LucDeep**

**I appreciate your review/s and I hope to see more in the future**

**Reviews are very much appreciated!**

* * *

**The Truth: Part 1**

I had the best sleep I have ever had in a long time. I woke up the next morning feeling content and safe in the arms that held me close. I tried to remove those arms so I could stretch and get dressed but they only held me tighter and I tried to turn around in those arms so I could get a better look at the owner.

Ezio was breathing steadily and I laughed slightly and shifted some hair that fell across his face. Ezio's eyes started to open and soon I was staring into those beautiful golden eyes. He smiled as he stared into my eyes lovingly.

"Good morning _amore mio_. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"I did, thank you for asking," I replied. He chuckled lightly and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I can't wait till I marry you," he mumbled after a while.

"Really?" I joked a little.

"I want to have the wedding next month. Is that ok with you?" he asked me. I was still having doubts about marrying Ezio considering the situation we were in.

"Are you sure? I mean… don't you have your training to worry about?" I asked. He furrowed his brow.

"I don't want you to worry about that… it will all be fine," I leaned into his touch and sighed contently, "We'll be happy you and I. I promise, I will buy us a house, we'll start a family you and I," he stated.

"You mean… we'll have children?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course… only if you want though," he gently placed his forehead against mine and sighed contently. I started to feel nervous but I pushed it aside.

* * *

After a while Ezio got out of bed and got himself dressed for training. I got dressed and brushed my hair. I headed down towards Mario's study afterwards to browse through some books. I then heard someone walk in the study and I turned around to see Mario entering.

"Azura, I didn't mean to startle you, how have you been?" he spoke as he moved toward his desk and started to look through some documents.

"I am well. Thank you Mario," I replied and went back to browsing through the books.

"Ezio informed me that he wishes for your wedding to be sometime next month. Are you excited?" He asked. I had a book in my arms and I turned towards him.

"I must admit, it is somewhat sudden, but I am nonetheless excited about it," I replied and he smiled and nodded.

"You're such a bright young woman Azura, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," I smiled and went to go and sit on a chair as I read through the book that I had picked up. I had a thought that was swimming around in my mind while I was reading the book and it was hindering my concentration. I placed the book to the side and plucked up the courage to ask Mario a question.

"Mario, if I may ask, why have you never married someone?" I asked timidly as I saw Mario raise his head up to look at me.

"You can ask me whatever you want Azura," he started as he chuckled a little, "but… I never married because I only focus on the battles that lie ahead. How could I ever bring a wife into that equation," he added with a slight chuckle.

"Do you… do you think that… that Ezio shouldn't marry me?" I somewhat whispered and I wasn't even sure if Mario had heard me. He let out a sigh before answering.

"I thought the same way with my brother. It's not easy living two lives, and I am not sure how he did it, but he managed to for quite some time. You know the rest," he added heavily as he went back to look down at his documents. A sick feeling rose inside of me and I felt like I was going to vomit.

"I am going for a walk," I weakly remarked as I stood on two shaky legs. Mario quickly rose from his chair as I looked like I was about to fall over.

"Do you want me to come with you _tesoro_?" he asked but I simply shook my head.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," I walked out of the study and out of the villa into some fresh air. Once I exited the villa I took in a breath of fresh air which seemed to calm me down a little.

* * *

I looked out at the blue sky and saw a flock of birds dancing in the air. I smiled slightly and I looked towards the training ring and saw Ezio there. I went to make my way down the stairs and towards town when I heard someone call out my name.

"Azura!" I heard Ezio call as he made his way toward the railing, "are you feeling ok?" he asked, puffing a little from the training, but sounding no less concerned.

"I'm fine; I'm just going for a walk. I'll be back later ok," I assured him.

"Ok then. Be safe," I nodded and continued my walk down the stairs. I felt a little more at ease while I was walking through town. Everyone seemed to be in a chipper mood. I made sure to bring my satchel this time around as I felt a little safer with is as well.

I walked past the blacksmith's and saw Amerigo hammering away. He saw me however and dropped his hammer and walked over to the counter.

"Azura, well you're a sight for sore eyes, how have you been?" I walked over to greet him.

"I have been well," I replied.

"Heard you got engaged to that Ezio fellow. Congratulations!" he shouted out heartily.

"How do you know?" my eye brows furrowed as I gave him a confused look.

"Word travels quickly in a small town," he replied. I simply nodded, "Well, I best get back to work, I'll see you some other time Ok," he stated as he got back to work.

I nodded, however, off to the other room I saw Arturo sharpening a sword. When his eyes met mine I saw cold, hard, orbs and he simply looked away. I shrugged off a strange feeling and continued my walk and headed towards the stables. I made my way down to Riccardo's stall and the horse was very happy to see me.

"Hey there boy," Riccardo leaned his head out of the stall and placed it in my arms. After a while of talking to the animal I sat by his stall and watched the sky. "I still can't believe he asked me to marry him," I started as I looked up at Riccardo, "I don't feel so lonely anymore," Riccardo nickered slightly and I went back to looking up at the sky but my eyes started to close and I nearly went to sleep.

"Azura," I heard someone say in a Spanish accent and I knew it was Arturo who was there. I stood up and dusted myself off as Arturo waited.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, "You haven't spoken to me in a while," he laughed nervously and scratched his head.

"I don't mean to Azura, honestly, I have just had other things on my mind as of late," he stated.

"That's fine, I sometimes get like that too," I laughed slightly and he laughed along as well.

"Hey, I got a present for you, do you want to swing by my house so I can get it for you," he suggested.

"Sure, let's go then," I happily said and we both made our way down the road to his house. Once we got there Arturo unlocked the door and then opened it.

"Come on in," he said and I was a little hesitant at first but I walked in. His house was certainly homey and warm, "wait here, I'll be right back," he said as he went into a different room. I sat down at the table and looked all around. There was a fireplace, a dining table, painting upon the wall.

A few moments later Arturo came back out again with something bundled up in cloth. He handed it to me and I unwrapped it. It was a dagger that seemed similar to the one I had but this one had an eagle on the hilt.

"It's lovely," I commented as I admired the craftsmanship.

"Is it?" he asked eagerly and I nodded and smiled, "is there anything else about the dagger?" he asked and I gave him a questioning look.

"It's a dagger, what's more to say," I replied as I wrapped the dagger back up.

"You don't recognise it?" he asked.

"No, why would I recognise it?" I asked sceptically and Arturo let out a sigh, "what's going on?" I asked. Arturo ran his hands through his hair before getting back up out of his chair.

"Wait here," he said as he went back into the same room and returned moments later with a book that he placed down on the table. He opened up the book and flicked through a few pages before stopping on one, "Here," he simply stated as he handed the book to me.

I looked down at the book and saw a picture of the same exact dagger that Arturo had given me. I unwrapped the dagger again and mad comparisons to make sure that it was indeed the same dagger from the book.

"So? This is probably just another famous artefact. I have seen dozens of artefacts before," I stated as I pushed the book back to him. He shook his head before answering.

"May I see your dagger Azura?" Arturo asked.

"Why?" I replied.

"Please," he simply stated. After hesitating I obliged and gave him my dragon hilted dagger. He took it carefully as he flicked through some more pages before stopping and looking back up at me with piercing eyes. He handed the book back to me and I looked down and saw my dagger in a picture.

"Yes my dagger is an artefact. Are we done here?" I asked.

"You're name isn't Azura, is it?" Arturo asked suddenly and my eyes slightly widened but I quickly composed myself.

"Azura has always been my name. I have no idea what you are talking about. If you'll excuse me, I'll be going now," I finished as I collected my dagger and went to walk out of the house.

"You knew a man by the name of Aeron didn't you?" Arturo suddenly shouted and I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned my head slightly towards him.

"How do you know that name?" I slightly growled.

"He is my mentor's ancestor," Arturo replied, "and judging by your tone you know who Aeron is," he continued.

"Don't ever say that name to me," I snapped as I whirled around. Arturo's eyes widened as his eyes showed a sense of realisation.

"Your name is Lyra isn't it?" Arturo continued and I covered my ears.

"No! I don't want to hear that name ever!" I shouted and was nearly put to tears.

"My mentor asked me to take you to him. Don't worry you'll be safe with him," Arturo continued as he moved towards me to comfort me. As he started to wrap his arms around me I violently shook him off.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed and Arturo backed away slightly.

"Lyra, please, we want to help you," Arturo continued.

"How? By keeping me locked up for the rest of my life? I don't ever want to go back to that life!" I glared at Arturo but he showed nothing but kindness in his eyes which made me even angrier. "I'm staying here, and I don't want you people to come after me again, you hear?" I slightly sobbed as a tear rolled down my face.

"What, and stayed married to someone who is going to leave you? We know the truth about you Lyra-"

"I said don't call me that," I growled.

"Lyra… we can take care of you… you will always have someone to protect you-"

"If you people know the truth about me then you certainly know that I don't need protection. My wounds heal quickly, I never fall ill, I cannot die. If you people want to help me, stay away from me, until I feel like I need to die," I never wanted anyone to know the truth about me, I was immortal, and that would haunt me forever.

"Lyra, no one wants you to die, my mentor will explain everything but I must get you out of here as soon as possible," Arturo begged. I shook my head and made for the door. I opened but Arturo halted me as I started to step outside, "You claim to hate people like me, but you are just going back to more, you're even marrying one," he spoke and I stopped in my tracks.

"What are you talking about?" I growled.

"Come on Lyra, you can't be that blind, you know they are Assassins just like me," Arturo commented. I shook my head, I didn't want to believe it, but deep down I knew. Aeron didn't want me near his kind. He wanted me to have a peaceful life.

"I don't believe you," I said through clenched teeth.

"You know it is true," and I do. I have heard it many times. I finally stepped out of that house and slammed the door behind me.

* * *

At that point I wasn't sure where to go or what to do. I didn't want to go back to the villa yet and decided that I should visit Maria as she seemed to quite like me visiting her. So I started walking down the road and toward the convent where she was currently staying. I walked in and saw her sitting down and doing some embroidery. She looked up and smiled.

"Azura, it is so lovely to see you, please come sit with me," she said as she patted the chair beside her so I obliged, "I am excited that you will be marrying my son. Show me the ring you're wearing," she asked eagerly and I showed her my hand with the ring on it and her face lit up.

"Ezio told me it's yours," I said.

"It's yours now _tesoro_," she said as he patted my hand and I placed my hand back down on my lap again, "I remember when Giovanni gave it to me," she said heavily and I quickly tried to change the subject.

"The weather is nice today isn't it?" I asked and Maria nodded. I felt anxious now and I shifted my gaze towards the ground.

"Are you Ok dear?" Maria asked and I shot my eyes back up to her and nodded and put on a fake smile, "I can tell that you're not. What is wrong?" she asked me and I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding.

"I don't think I deserve to marry your son Maria," I said somewhat shakily.

"Azura, he loves you very much, and you most definitely deserve to be with him," Maria stated.

"I don't feel I am quite right for him. I do love him, but I think he deserves better than me, I just don't know," I said as I placed my head in my hands. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and I looked up into Maria's eyes.

"It is Ok for you to be having these doubts. I too was like you when I was preparing to be married to my husband. It is only normal, do not worry about it, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me about it," me spoke with comforting words and I nodded.

After a few hours I took my leave and continued back towards Monteriggioni. It was way past midday and it was near dusk when I got back to the villa. I was somewhat exhausted from my day and decided that I wanted to take a bath so I had one prepared. I hoped in the warm water and felt myself relax.

'_What should I do?_' I thought to myself as I grabbed one of the soaps and started to rub it all over my body, '_I don't even know Arturo's mentor. Why would he want me?_' I knew that the reason could be so that the Assassins have the upper hand, but I thought I had covered my tracks so well, maybe I was wrong.

* * *

"_Aeron?" I asked one afternoon._

"_Yes beautiful," Aeron replied. He was sitting at his desk, going through some letters that were sent to him._

"_Can I ask you something?" he flashed me a grin, those perfect white teeth, and held out his arms towards me. I went over to him and he pulled me onto his lap._

"_What does my beautiful flower need?" he asked as he ran his fingers through my hair. I smiled a little but then gave him a serious look._

"_Why did I not die when I stabbed me through the heart?" he face suddenly turned hard and he pushed me away from him as he stood, "What was that for?" I snapped and he suddenly turned on me._

"_Why did you have to ask that?" he growled as he grabbed my shoulders. It hurt and I was scared._

"_Aeron. You're hurting me," I said weakly as I grabbed his wrists and tried to pry him off. His eyes widened and then softened up as he let go of my shoulders and held my face gently._

"_Sorry beautiful, I lost my temper there, you know I don't mean it," he spoke softly._

"_Why did that question bother you?" Aeron sighed and he brought me closer, pulling me into an embrace._

"_I guess there is no point in not telling you. Better to hear it from me than someone else," He said as he nervously chuckled. I waited for him to continue as he took a deep breath and then released it, "the blade I used, it is a very special blade, I never meant to use it but my reflexes kicked in when you tried to jump me. You see, when someone is stabbed through the heart with that blade, then they become immortal," he concluded and I couldn't believe my ears._

"_What?" I asked and I started to panic a little, not really registering what he had just said._

"_I'm sorry Lyra... I wish I had never turned my blade on you," he apologised sincerely. I didn't understand and I didn't want to understand. I pushed Aeron away from me and I ran into the bedroom and shut the door behind me, locking it, "Lyra, please, don't lock yourself away from me," I heard him say as he tried to open the door._

_I lay down on the bed and cried into the pillows. Me? Immortal? How was I supposed to cope with that? What did that mean for me anyway? I could never grow old, I could never die, was I ever to grow old with my loved ones. Aeron tried to coax me out of the room but left after a few minutes. _

_I stayed in there and cried for hours and then I fell asleep. I woke up later feeling horrible. I got off the bed and walked over to the door and unlocked it. I walked out and looked around, seeing Aeron sitting next to the door, he seemed to be sleeping. I shook him awake and he opened his eyes and stared into mine._

"_I'm sorry," I whispered and Aeron pulled me into his arms._

"_You have nothing to apologise for," he whispered back and held me there for quite some time._

* * *

I breathed in the scent of the soaps and I rested my back against the tub. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down when I suddenly heard the door open. My eyes shot open and I looked up to see Ezio stick his head through.

"I thought I could sneak up on you," he stated and my cheeks went red with embarrassment as I tried to cover myself, "It's cute when you're embarrassed," he said as he stepped through the doorway and locked the door behind him.

"I have never bathed in front of you before. Of course I am embarrassed!" I snapped and he only chuckled. He started to remove his clothing and I looked away and started to stare at the opposite side of the room. I then felt the water shifting as Ezio lowered himself into the tub, stretching out his arms, he pulled me against his chest and I let out a noise of surprise.

I placed my hands on his chest as he pulled me towards his lips. I felt is tongue dance around my mouth and my tongue, his hands roamed my body, up to my breasts and down along my back. I had to pull myself away to catch my breath as Ezio continued to kiss my along my neck, lowering me until he was leaning over me, and started to kiss in between my breasts.

"Ezio…" I started as I tried to get his attention but it more so came out as a moan.

"Azura," he replied in a husky tone as he came back up and started to kiss my jawline.

"Ezio… please…" was all I could manage before I felt his member against my leg and I let out a gasp.

"Please what?" he smirked as he grabbed my buttocks.

"Please… stop," I finally whispered and Ezio gave me a confused look.

"I'm not hurting you am I? I'm sorry," he replied as he got off of me and leaned back against the tub.

"No," I started suddenly, "I just…" I wasn't quite sure what to say. I got out of the bath and grabbed a towel to dry myself off.

"Azura?" Ezio started as he hopped out of the bath too.

"I just need time to think," I said as I walked out of the room and into the bedroom. I quickly dried myself off and changed into another set of clothing that Ezio had bought for me. I brushed my hair and placed my necklace back on. Once I was done I heard Ezio exit from the other room with new clothes on and shut the door.

"Are you not well _amore mio_?" Ezio asked as he moved closer towards me. I backed up a little and Ezio started to seem really concerned, "Please, tell me what's wrong?" he asked. I was scared of he would say.

"I don't think you should marry me," I whispered shakily. Ezio barely heard me and he moved closer again.

"_Mi dispiace_, I don't think I heard you quite right, what did you say again?" he asked.

"I said that you shouldn't marry me," I repeated, this time a little louder so he could hear me, and he did. I didn't expect him to start laughing though, "What's so funny?" I asked him and he calmed himself down a little.

"You're so funny Azura. Who put you up to this? Was it Mario?" he continued laughing as he pulled me into an embrace.

"You think I'm joking?" I asked. He smirked and nodded.

"I know you Azura, you love me too much. Besides, I wouldn't let you leave me anyway," he playfully growled that last part and started to kiss me along my neck.

"Yeah… you're right," I started to nervously laugh, "It was all a joke," Ezio looked me in the eyes and smiled.

"I must admit, you did scare me at the start, I thought you were sick," he stated and kissed me on the forehead, "Come now, I'll give you a massage, you love that right?" he asked as he started to lead me towards the bed but I stopped him.

"I want to go for a walk and get some fresh air," I smiled weakly and he smiled back.

"We'll go for a walk then," Ezio replied but I shook my head and he gave me a confused look.

"I'd rather go by myself," His feature hardened and he glared at me.

"No, it is too dangerous for you to go by yourself, it is nearly night time," he warned but I placed my hand on his cheek.

"I'll be fine; I know how to defend myself, besides I will be in no danger," he still seemed unconvinced but I managed to convince him.

"Don't leave the walls; you stay near the town and the villa, Ok?" I nodded and he smiled, "I'd feel better if I went with you," he said.

"I'll be fine," I assured him one last time before I picked up my dagger and tied it to my belt. I needed to clear my head.

* * *

I walked around the villa but that didn't help. I walked around the streets but that too didn't seem to be working either. After about fifteen minutes I gave up and went back to the villa and headed up to the bedroom. I entered to see Ezio reading another one of my books and I smiled.

"I still find it funny that you are reading my books," I commented and he looked up and smirked.

"I still don't understand how you can read these," he retorted.

"Yet you are still reading them," he chuckled and I joined him on the bed.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked me. I lied and nodded in response and he wrapped one arm around my waist and gave me a kiss, "Good," he concluded.

* * *

Once we at dinner that night we got ourselves ready for bed. We blew out the candles and after a minute or so of Ezio talking about how much he loves me he fell fast asleep. I couldn't get to sleep however, I felt fidgety, like something was wrong and I had to find out.

The feeling went on for another hour and I decided that I couldn't stay in bed any longer. I carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Ezio, and silently dressed myself, grabbed my dagger, and headed out the door.

The night air was cool and refreshing, but that feeling wouldn't pass, even as I walked further away from the villa. I hesitated at the gates, Ezio would be furious if I went outside the walls, but I had to find out what was giving me this funny feeling. I headed out the gates and walked along the dirt road that around Monteriggioni.

'_It mays just be my imagination_,' I thought as I continued along the road. After a while I the feeling subsided, '_Must be because I had a big day_,' I finally told myself as I went to head back towards Monteriggioni. I stopped in my tracks as someone emerged from the bushes and my hand instantly rested on the hilt of my dagger.

"Stupid horse," the man said as he dusted himself off. The man seemed to be wearing a similar outfit to what Ezio would wear.

This man had a black hood on and a blue sash around his waist. At least I think anyway, I couldn't really tell, it was too dark. He then looked towards me and I felt his gaze upon me.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there, I hope I didn't startle," he apologised. I couldn't quite place his accent, though his voice didn't seem so threatening, and he didn't seem like he would attack me. Judging from the way he dressed, I guess he must have been an assassin.

"It's fine," I said but I didn't remove my hand from the hilt just in case.

"I was heading to a friend's house when my horse threw me off," he commented with a chuckle. He only seemed like a man in his twenties but I couldn't quite tell.

"That's unfortunate," I said nonchalantly.

"I should get going now, the house I need to get to isn't far from here, you should be careful too," he added as he started to walk past me.

"I can take care of myself," I replied.

"I don't doubt that," he said without stopping. I ignored the man and continued walking back towards Monteriggioni.

'_I wonder if he is that mentor Arturo was going on about. That can't be right though, he seems much too young,_' I thought as and shrugged off that thought.

* * *

Once I got back to the villa and headed inside to the bedroom, I carefully opened the door and looked inside, Ezio was still sleeping thankfully. I swiftly but silently closed the door, changed back into my nightgown, and climbed back into bed. Ezio however woke to me moving the covers so I could get underneath them.

"Did you go somewhere?" he asked me.

"I couldn't sleep, I went to get some water, sorry for waking you," I apologised and I finished getting comfortable before Ezio wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you so much," he mumbled.

"I hold the same regard for you," I don't know, I couldn't bring myself to say those three words anymore; I didn't feel like I deserved to be loved by Ezio. He will grow old, and I will stay young, and he will probably think I have been cursed or something.

'_I don't know what to do_,' I thought to myself, and that scared me.

* * *

**Hey guys, that was part one, part two should be up in a few hours or maybe tomorrow. I have to make a video and talk about squirrels for animal biology so I am not sure when it will be out.**

**Let me know what you think by leaving a review and I hope to see a lot of people reading these next two chapters.**

**Happy reading guys**

**-Midnight**


	13. The Truth: Part 2

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**LucDeep**

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* * *

**The Truth: Part 2**

I woke up feeling rather crabby and anxious. I think Ezio must have woken up hours earlier because the empty space beside me was cold. I got out of bed and dressed myself, brushing my hair, and then went down to grab something to eat.

Stepping into the kitchen is grabbed an apple and then headed for Mario's study. As I reached the study however, I heard voices coming from the room, so I stood with my back to the wall beside the entry way so no one would see me.

"I must say, I never expected to see you here so soon, I thought you had other important things to take care of," I heard Mario say.

"My important work has brought me here, I just thought that I should visit you, my friend," another voice, a man, spoke. It sounded familiar.

"What were you looking for again? You never informed me from your last letter," Mario asked the stranger.

"I'm sorry I must have been preoccupied. My mind tends to wander," the stranger replied, "I'm actually looking for someone. I have reasons to believe that they will be quite a great deal of help for the Assassins for years to come," the stranger continued.

"How so?" Mario asked.

"You may not believe me friend when I tell you this," the stranger continued.

"Try me," Mario jested with a chuckle, "Come, Let us discuss this over some wine," I heard the stranger chuckle and I heard them start to move out of the room.

I quickly moved away from the doorway and swiftly moved away and towards the stairs. Once I was at the top of the stairs I heard Mario call after me.

"Ah, Azura, beautiful day isn't it?" I turned around to before replying.

"It is indeed," I said politely as I looked down at my feet.

"Come, my child, I would like you to meet a friend of mine," I walked back down the stairs without looking up; "I would like to introduce you to Sébastien. Sébastien this is Azura," I looked up and I nearly froze. It was the same man I saw last night. Sébastien lightly grabbed my hand and planted a kiss on it.

I couldn't see much of his face as it was covered by his hood. Indeed, he did have black Assassin robes and a blue sash. He had brown leather armour gloves. He had one sword at his side and a short sword strapped on his back. Throwing knives covered his belt and he no doubt looked the part of an Assassin.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Azura," he spoke in a well-mannered tone. I quickly grabbed my hand back, forgetting my manners; I didn't want him touching me, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you," Sébastien apologised.

"I have to go now," I quickly said as I race up the stairs and locked myself away in the bedroom. I stayed in there for quite some time, too afraid to come back out, for fear of having to encounter that man again. '_I hope he is not the mentor that Arturo was talking about,_' I thought to myself.

* * *

I sat on the bed and tried to preoccupy myself with one of my books. I was there for a while before I heard knocking on the door. I closed the book and hesitantly got up to answer it. I opened the door and saw Mario standing there.

"Azura, I was wondering if you could accompany me in the study, I want to go over a few things with Sébastien and we would love you opinion as well," Mario offered heartily.

"Sure," I said hesitantly as I followed him out of the room and down the stairs towards the study. Sure enough Sébastien was waiting as he looked through some pages of the journal that I had recovered a while back. How long ago was that again?

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Mario said and Sébastien raised a hand.

"That is quite alright," he said, placing the hand back down against his side again. Mario went toward the journal and I just stood off to the side trying to ignore Sébastien. Mario went through with some of the things we had discovered from the journal, allowing me to have some input, which I mostly didn't want to do at the time.

"Hopefully we have the upper hand against the Templars now," Mario said.

"I don't share the same optimism that you have for this kind of thing Mario, but it is most impressive nonetheless, how did you manage to recover this journal?" Sébastien asked.

"Azura recovered it. She managed to do it all by herself," Mario replied like a proud father. By this time I was sitting in the chair and reading a book. I looked up when Mario said my name and saw Sébastien staring at me with a smile.

"You must be very brave and quite skilful Azura," Sébastien complimented. He seemed quite sincere.

"It wasn't anything special," I replied as I went back to reading my book. I heard Sébastien and Mario laugh a little.

"Azura is quite modest, though she does do a good job, when you need her to," Mario said and Sébastien agreed, "Ah… I almost forgot too… I have that thing that you asked for if you were ever nearby. Just wait here and I'll go get it for you," Mario told Sébastien as he exited the study and went to retrieve something leaving me alone with Sébastien.

It felt really awkward and I was too afraid to look up from my book. I nearly jumped when Sébastien started talking to me too.

"Why did you retrieve this journal again Azura?" Sébastien asked in a calm tone.

"I was paid to recover and artefact. That journal was going to help me," I whispered without looking up from my book.

"_Was_?" Sébastien asked, hinting on my past tense.

"I gave it to Mario. I figured he would put the journal to better use," I whispered, feeling anxious, that I may have been giving him too much information. It was silent for a little bit before Sébastien spoke again.

"You can trust me you know," I looked up at him, surprised that he would say something like that, and he slightly smiled back at me when I looked up, "no one here is going to hurt you," he said calmly, and for some reason, I believed him. He looked back down at the journal before continuing. "So when you say recover an artefact, do you mean you were an archaeologist, am I right?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Is it a dangerous job?" he asked as he looked back at me.

"That depends on the item that needs to be recovered," I replied and Sébastien gave me a satisfied smirk. I smiled weakly and then went back to my book. Mario entered the room moments later.

"Well, that took a while, but I found it," Mario said as he gave a package to Sébastien.

"Thank you my friend. It has been a pleasure, but I must head off now, it was lovely meeting you Azura," Sébastien said and I acknowledged him politely. Sébastien went to leave before turning to Mario again, "I trust that you will have that little job done for me by the time I leave my friend?" Mario then gave him a serious look.

"I'll see what I can do about it… I can't make any promises though," Mario replied.

"All I ask is that you try," Sébastien then left the study and Mario let out a deep and heavy sigh.

"What was that about? What job was he talking about?" I asked. Mario turned to me and gave me a weak smile.

"I'll tell you later, let me think for a moment, you can go now," I got off the chair and took my book with me to the bedroom.

* * *

Once I was in the bedroom I closed the door, sat on the bed, and continued to read through the book.

'_I wonder what he meant by that job that Mario had to do. It must have been important if Mario seemed very serious about it,_' I thought as my mind started to wander after reading the book for quite some time.

I actually wasn't quite sure what to think anymore. If Sébastien was indeed the mentor that Arturo was talking about, wouldn't he demand to take me away at that very moment, that's what all the others did. He didn't even talk to me about it when I was alone with him.

'_He may not be what I thought he was after all_,' I happily thought to myself but deep down I knew something was going to happen. '_Do I really want to stay here and keep Ezio held back for the rest of his life?_' I didn't want to be selfish as I thought about those things.

By now it was midday and I hear another knock on the door. I went to answer it, and as expected, I saw Mario standing on the other side.

"Azura, I need to discuss some things with you, would you mind following me to the study," he asked.

"No, I don't mind at all, lead the way," I replied as I stepped out of the room and followed Mario to the study. All the while I felt anxious and wanted to hide in the bedroom for the rest of the day.

"Please sit," Mario motioned for me to sit on one of the chairs and I did while he sat in another one. Mario hesitated for a while and I waited patiently for him to speak.

"Azura, with what little time we have spent together, you are like a daughter to me," Mario started as his eyes softened, "and because of that, you can tell me anything, can't you?" I nodded in agreement. He breathed out a heavy sigh and I had always known that this would come.

"It's Ok Mario," I said sincerely and he gave me a slight smile.

"Sébastien has told me everything, I can't imagine, such things," Mario went on, "how long have you been… you know… immortal?" he asked as if the word itself was a strange thing.

"I don't quite remember," I said sadly. I can't remember how long it has been.

"Sébastien suggests that you leave with him so that you can be properly taken care of. He knows more about these things than anyone else and assures me that you will be properly taken care of and away from anyone who may wish to use you for improper deeds," Mario stated.

"I can take care of myself. Besides, I don't know Sébastien, and Ezio intends to marry me next month," I said a little shakily at that last part.

"I know my child," Mario replied. I sat there and stared at my hands for quite some time, "He will have to know about this," and I knew that too, but I could never muster up enough courage to tell him that, I was too afraid of being cast off to the side. Or worse, Ezio may want to find a way to become like me, and I couldn't bear the thought.

"He doesn't need to know," I whispered.

"You can't just not tell him," Mario stated.

"Tell who about what?" I turned around and saw Ezio standing in the doorway. He had his Assassin's robes on but with his hood down.

"Ah… _nipote_, we were just discussing battle tactics," Mario said as he stood from his chair, "I need to go check on some things. I will see you both later at dinner," Mario said as he rushed out of the villa.

"Battle tactics?" Ezio asked me as he raised an eyebrow. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Mario was teaching me," I said as I stood from the chair, "finishing training so early?" I asked.

"I just really wanted to be with you today," Ezio said as he walked over to me and pulled me into an embrace, "I was finished any way," he added. I scrunched up my nose at the smell of sweat.

"Go take a bath because you reek of sweat," I ordered him and he chuckled.

"Come take one with me then," he said as he started to move us towards the doorway.

"No, I want to keep reading, you go and take a bath," he pouted a little but then smirk as he away to go take a bath.

I shook my head and then turned my attention toward the bookshelf. I looked through them and found one that I wanted to read. It was however on one of the top shelves just a little beyond my reach but I thought that I could get it.

I stretched out my arm and tried to reach for the book. I tried to stand on my tip toes but the book must have been higher than I thought and I still couldn't reach it. I lost my foot and I started to fall backwards, however, I slammed into something behind me and I looked up to see a hooded figure reach out his gloved hand towards the book that I wanted and handed it to me.

"Is this what you wanted?" Sébastien asked. I hugged the book closer to my chest and backed away from him.

"T-thank you," I somewhat stuttered, feeling anxious again, I tried to keep my distance.

"Is there anything else I can help with?" he asked eagerly as if he were a servant at my beck and call.

"You want to take me away," I blurted out. I didn't mean to be so sudden and so harsh in my words but that was the way it came out.

"Mario told you," he mostly stated rather than asked, "I never meant to upset you… Lyra," he whispered my name.

"Please, don't use that name ever, I don't like anyone calling me that," I pleaded.

"Sorry, I won't do that again, I will call you only by Azura. Is that better?" he asked.

"Why do you want me to go with you?" I asked, ignoring his last question.

"Bad people want to take you away Azura. If I bring you to my home no one will be able to harm you," Sébastien explained.

"Can't I stay here?" I asked. Sébastien then lifted his hood back slightly so I could clearly see his eyes. They were a hazel colour and those eyes showed nothing but concern in them.

"If you could, I wouldn't be here, believe me for that is the honest truth," his words were sincere and I couldn't argue with them for I knew they were true.

"I am to marry Ezio next month. If I leave, it could kill him, I don't want to do that," I whispered. I heard a slight sigh escape Sébastien's lips.

"My only regret in life… is that I couldn't find you fast enough. Had I been faster then maybe you wouldn't feel this regret," he spoke softly with kind and caring words.

"Won't you just lock me away if I go with you?" I asked as I glared at him.

"Has that been done to you before?" he asked. I hesitated but I nodded my response, "I promise that I will never do that to you. I will never cage you," I knew he was telling the truth.

"I still don't know you that well," he chuckled and then a shot him a confused look.

"We'll have to remedy that now won't we?" he said and continued to chuckle and I laughed a little with him. I stopped myself and then downcast my eyes, "I do forget myself sometimes. I was looking for Mario do you know where he is?" Sébastien then asked.

"You just missed him sorry. I don't know where he went," I replied politely and he shook his head.

"Well, I am not wasting my time running around looking for him, I'll wait for him here," Sébastien replied. He picked up a book from the shelf and sat down on one of the chairs. He looked up at me and motioned to the one next to him, "I always say the best way to read is in the company of others," I don't know why, but Sébastien made me smile somewhat, and I happily obliged and sat in the chair next to him. He opened up his book and started to read and I did the same with mine.

* * *

It actually felt nice to read next to someone else. I hadn't read like this since Aeron. I pushed that thought out of my mind. While I would read, Sébastien would mark witty comments about his book, which would make me laugh.

"I love that I make you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine… wouldn't you agree?" he asked.

"I'm not sick though," I jokingly remarked and Sébastien chuckled.

"This is true," he stated. We read in silence for a few more minutes until I heard someone enter the room.

"Azura are you still…" Ezio entered the room and saw Sébastien sitting next to me, "Who is this?" Ezio asked and Sébastien got out of his chair and placed his book down, fixing up his hood so it covered his eyes again.

"I don't believe we have been formerly introduced, my name is Sébastien, and I am a friend of Mario's. Who might you be?" Sébastien asked as he extended a hand for Ezio to shake which Ezio ignored.

"Ezio," he plainly replied and Sébastien retreated his hand back to his side. Ezio then turned his attention to me, "Azura can you come with me. I need to speak with you alone," I nodded my head and got out of the chair and placed my book down.

"Sure," I said and started to follow Ezio out of the study.

"It has been a pleasure reading with you Azura," Sébastien called and I gave him a small smile before Ezio grabbed me by the hand and led me out. We walked up the stairs before Ezio said anything.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Ezio asked worriedly.

"Why would you think he would hurt me?" I asked.

"Because we don't know this man, you're lucky I turned up, he probably would have killed you," Ezio stated with hate in his words.

"You're being ridiculous," I replied. We made it to the bedroom where Ezio led me in and shut the door, locking it, before letting out a sigh, "You don't have anything to say to me do you? You just want to keep me away from everything that you think may hurt me," I angrily remarked as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I just want to keep you safe," Ezio said as he stretched out his arms to pull me into an embrace.

"You also promised that you would keep me happy. You're failing miserably at that," I growled and stood back away from him.

"Are you not happy?" he asked.

"Not like this. I'd rather die than to be locked up," Ezio's eyes widened at that and then he became somewhat angry.

"Don't ever say that," he growled through clenched teeth.

"You can't stop me saying from what is true," I retorted.

"And what else would you have me do, I have lost most of my family, I can't lose you too!" he shouted at me.

"I don't want to be yours to lose!" I screamed back at him which caused him to look at me shocked.

"What?" Ezio asked incredulously. I shook my head frustratingly and I grabbed my satchel and made my way for the door. Ezio blocked it and I couldn't look at him.

"Let me through," I said through clenched teeth.

"What did you mean by your not mine to lose?" he asked but I wasn't in the mood to argue.

"Get out of the way," I said more harshly and this time I looked into his eyes. He wanted to say something but he let out a sigh and moved away from the door. I walked past him and left the bedroom as I slammed the door shut.

* * *

I decided that I just needed to get away from the villa. I decided to head towards the stables and say hello to Ricardo. I hurried through the streets and away from the villa and walked over to Ricardo's stall. He had his head out of the stall and waited for me.

"Hey there boy," I said as I pat the horse down his nose, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," I said and Ricardo let out a neigh, "I guess you're happy to see me too hey?" Ricardo placed his head in my arms and I hugged him.

"I didn't know you had a horse," I heard someone say and I turned around and saw Sébastien standing there.

"Sébastien!" I said feeling rather happy for him being there.

"What's his name?" he asked as he started to pat the horse.

"His name is Ricardo, I found him all alone one day, so I decided to take him with me," I started to stroke Ricardo neck. Ricardo seemed to love the attention he was getting.

"Weren't you talking with Ezio before? Why aren't you with him now?" Sébastien asked and I looked away. I didn't want to remember that argument, "I'm sorry, I won't ask, forget I said that," Sébastien added. I hesitantly looked back at Sébastien before speaking.

"We had a fight," I started, "he doesn't trust you, he wanted to lock me away in the room, I got mad and stormed out," I finished and Sébastien looked down at me and I could somewhat see his eyes. He then looked up at the sky and smiled.

"It is a beautiful day isn't it?" he asked and I looked up at the sky too. It was a beautiful day, "Do you know what my favourite weapon is?" he asked all of a sudden and I looked back at him, "I love using the bow, it is so elegant, and when used properly can be very dangerous," he added with a chuckle.

"I don't see a bow with you," I remarked.

"Yes, I seem to have misplaced mine, though I do prefer to be at close range at some times. It doesn't make me look like a coward," I smiled, I felt safe around Sébastien, and Mario trusts him as well, "I have spoken with Mario as well, he has invited me to dinner tonight, aren't I lucky. I am graced by your presence, not once, but four times in one day," Sébastien remarked contently.

"You treat me like I am a princess or something," I stated.

"You should always be treated like that; anyway, I should get ready for tonight. The day is nearly ending. I shall see you later Azura," with that Sébastien started to walk off. I bid Ricardo farewell and I headed back to the villa. I was ecstatic. As I ran past the training grounds and into the villa I saw Mario coming out from the study.

"Azura, good thing I found you, I have invited Sébastien to dinner tonight. I hope you don't mind," Mario informed me.

"No, not at all, Sébastien just told me in fact," I replied. Mario smiled.

"I'm glad you're getting along with him. Go get ready, I'll come and get you in an hour," I nodded and headed up the stairs and towards the bedroom.

I took my time to get ready. I had a bath, it dried my hair off, and I brushed it and put it up in a bun, and then I picked out a dress. I don't know why but I felt obliged to. I then placed my necklace on and I looked at myself in the mirror. I still felt the same but I didn't mind.

"What's the special occasion?" I turned around and saw Ezio leaning against the bed frame.

"You're getting a little better at sneaking up on me," I nonchalantly replied. Ezio smiled a little at that.

"I'm sorry for arguing with you earlier. It was wrong of me and I shouldn't have done that," Ezio apologised sincerely. He really meant it and my eyes softened towards him.

"I'm sorry too," I said. He stepped up to me and pulled me into an embrace. He took in my scent and breath out a sigh of content.

"You smell beautiful like you always do," he complimented, "but I thought you hate dresses," he said now looking down at me.

"We have a guest tonight," I told him. I then heard a knock on the door and I got out of Ezio's grasp to answer it.

"Azura," Mario said from the doorway, "I had just come to see Ezio," I moved to let Mario in and he turned to me before talking to Ezio, "Why don't you head down to the dining room and entertain our guest. We will both be done soon," I nodded and headed out of the room quickly and I heard the door close behind me.

* * *

I made my way down the stairs and towards the dining room. The room was well lit and decorated finely. A white table cloth covered the long table which seated about six. It was neatly set and candles were lit along the table. Sébastien sat at the table and stood once he saw me.

Sébastien was wearing very fine clothing. He had a white shirt and a black vest with intricate designs that were green in colour. He wore black pants and shining black boots. I saw his face more clearly this time. He had black hair and a scar that ran across his left cheek and he was slightly tanned. He did indeed seem like he was in his early twenties.

"Azura, you look beautiful, come and sit," he said as he pulled out the chair next to himself but I declined.

"Ezio would want me to sit next to him," I informed as I went to pull out a chair on the opposite side.

"Let me then," Sébastien suggested as he swiftly moved around to my side and pulled out the chair for me. I sat down and he pushed the chair in and went and sat back down in his own, "Would you like some wine?" he asked as he poured himself some.

"Just a little thank you," he smiled and poured me some and handed me the drink. I smiled and took a small sip.

"How was your day?" he started.

"It was fine thank you for asking," I politely replied.

"Good, if find it best to appreciate all things about your day, no matter what happens," he said. He seemed to always have something to say.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I heard Mario say and I turned my head and saw him and Ezio enter the dining room.

"No need my friend it is quite all right. I was just talking with Azura," Sébastien said as he gave me a wink which caused me to laugh slightly. Mario sat down at the head of the table and Ezio sat down next to me as he gave Sébastien a slight glare. Mario asked one of the maids to have the food out and Ezio poured himself some wine.

"So, Sébastien, what exactly do you do?" Ezio asked him. Sébastien had to finish drinking and put down his cup before answering.

"Well, I don't see much point in lying at the moment, I am an Assassin much like you gentleman," Sébastien replied.

"Sébastien is actually a Master Assassin and runs the Assassin's branch in France," Mario added.

"You don't sound French," Ezio continued. I knew he was trying to undermine Sébastien and I really hated that so I lightly jabbed Ezio in his side and he gave me a sideways glance.

"My mother was French, my father was German, and I travelled a lot when I was younger. Due to that my accent is rather eclectic," Sébastien explained. The maids then came out and brought us our dinner. They then retreated back to the kitchen and we started to eat.

"Where exactly do you live?" Ezio continued.

"I live in Paris, it is somewhat central for my order, and I do enjoy living there," Sébastien said and then turned his attention to me; "You should come and visit sometime Azura. It is the most beautiful city by far you will love it there," he said rather enthusiastically.

"I have never even been to France before let alone Paris. I would love to visit sometime Sébastien," Sébastien's eyes lit up and he flashed a smile.

"_Merveilleux_ (wonderful)! How about next month, I'll show you-"

"No, she won't go, she has to be here next month," Ezio said, interrupting Sébastien.

"Why is that?" Sébastien asked, his tone lowering, and he started to glare at Ezio.

"We are getting married next month if you must know," Ezio slightly growled. Sébastien quickly flicked his eyes towards me before he regained his composure quickly and went back to his usual self.

"That's fair enough. How about sometime this month though?" I was about to say something but Ezio interrupted me.

"Why would she go with you?" Ezio snapped, "Azura barely knows you," Ezio added.

"She can go if she wants to. Have you even considered asking her?" Sébastien countered.

"I don't need to ask her to know that she would never consider visiting you," the two Assassins just glared at each other and I thought for sure that they would start ripping each other's throats out.

"_Basta!_ You two should know better! I will not have bickering children at my table!" Mario reprimanded. The two then calmed themselves down and relaxed back in their seats.

* * *

We ate in silence for the rest of the dinner, once we were done that maids came and collected the plates, and we all stood up and exited the dining room and into the hall. Sébastien bid his farewell and went back to his accommodation for the night.

"What is he doing here anyway?" Ezio asked Mario once Sébastien had left. Mario then looked at me and I knew we had no choice. He had to know.

"Azura… may I speak with Ezio alone for a moment?" he asked and I nodded and headed back to the bedroom. I closed the door behind me, I wasn't really sure what to do next, and I couldn't face Ezio anymore.

I let my hair out and brushed it and then changed into a set of clothes. Once Mario finishes talking with Ezio, I would be too afraid to confront him, I wanted to make a quick getaway. It was only a few seconds but it seemed like hours. I had the window open and I could feel the breeze roll in as I sat on the bed.

I started to consider that maybe I should hear what Ezio would say. Even though I knew he would never want me to leave. I looked down at the ring, slowly taking it off; I placed it on the bedside table.

"WHAT!" I heard Ezio shout out at the top of his lungs. I jumped with fright at the sound of his angry voice. After a few more seconds I then heard the loudest footsteps run up the stairs.

'_I can't do this,_' I thought as I jumped out the window and closed it behind me. I jumped off the building and ran away from the villa, '_I'm such a fucking coward_,' I thought as I ran through the streets of Monteriggioni and out the gates. '_Great, it's cold, and I don't know where to go,_' I crossed my arms as I started to shiver slightly.

Cold, lost, alone. I cried slightly then. I don't know where to go but I knew that I couldn't go back. Why was it so cold tonight? I wasn't sure, it was better than thinking about other things, wouldn't anyone agree?

"Azura?" I turned around at the sound of my name.

'_Sébastien?_' I thought as I saw the Master Assassin stand before me.

"You'll catch a cold out here," he was in his Assassin's robes again. He wore a cloak but took it off and wrapped it around me. I grabbed the cloak and held it closer to my shivering body, "Why are you out here anyway?" I wasn't sure how to respond and he gave me a warm smile, "Come, let me take you back to the villa, it will be warmer there," he continued as he held out his hand for me to take.

"I… I don't want to," I barely whispered.

"Sorry?" Sébastien asked, not really hearing me that well. I then let go of the cloak and jumped to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, my face buried in his chest, "Azura?" he whispered.

"I don't want to hurt anyone anymore, please, I can't go back there," I was scared and I think that Sébastien knew that completely. I felt him wrap his arms around mine protectively. My head just rested underneath his chin.

"I'll take you somewhere safe," he whispered. He let go of me and picked up the cloak that I had unknowingly dropped, "Come on," he said as he led the way and I gladly followed.

I wasn't paying much attention to where we were going, but Sébastien eventually led me to where Arturo lived, I felt safe. Sébastien opened the door and led me inside, grabbing a candle from a nearby table and lighting it.

"My apprentice is away on a mission," he said, "there is a room over here," he said as he led me to a room. It was one with a double bed and when I saw it I instantly grew tired. I didn't wait for Sébastien to say anything, I put my stuff down and crawled in, causing him to chuckle somewhat, "Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"I'm scared," I said without realising.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" he asked with such concern.

"No!" I said as I shot up and looked at him. He seemed a little shocked, "I don't want to hurt you too," I finally said. I saw him smile warmly and I saw his hazel eyes glow from the candlelight underneath his hood.

"You won't I promise," I looked down at my hands in nervousness, "try and sleep tonight," Sébastien turned away and went to close the door.

"Wait!" I said and he stopped and turned to look at me, "Could you leave the door open slightly. I know it sounds childish but-" he held up his hand.

"Not a problem," he smiled and left the door open slightly. I saw him sit on the dining table and read through some books that were sitting on it.

My eyes started to grow heavy, '_I just want this nightmare to be over,_' then I feel asleep soon afterwards.

* * *

**Like I said at the top of the page review 'I like it' or 'I hate it' to let me know how people feel about this chapter.**

**Anyway, I think that is all, I need to do a video about squirrels so I may not post another chapter in a while.**

**Have fun and happy reading!**

**-Midnight**


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